Detection of HIV-1-specific T-cell immune responses in highly HIV-exposed uninfected individuals by in-vitro dendritic cell co-culture

作者：Guardo Alberto C; Ruiz Riol Marta; Fernandez Emma; Maleno Maria J; Bargallo Manel E; Leon Agathe; Climent Nuria; Garcia Felipe; Gatell Jose M; Brander Christian; Plana Montserrat^*

来源：AIDS, 2015, 29(11): 1309-1318.

DOI：10.1097/QAD.0000000000000728

Background:
Although virus-specific responses are rarely detected by conventional approaches, we report here the detection of T-cell responses in HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) patients by two distinct assays.
Methods:
HIV-specific T-cell responses were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunospot in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HESN patients after a 48-h co-culture with boosted dendritic cells. Additionally, a boosted flow cytometry approach was used to capture antiviral T-cell responses. Host genetic factors and T-cell activation were also analyzed to assess their implication on HIV exposure.
Results:
Of the 45 HESN individuals tested, up to 11 (24.4%) showed at least one response to peptide pools covering HIV Gag and Nef. A positive correlation was observed between the intensity (P = 0.0022) and magnitude (P = 0.0174) of the response detected in the HESN, and the viral load of the HIV-positive partner. Moreover, the result from the boosted flow and cytomix analyses showed a dominant Th1-like response pattern against HIV antigens, especially in CD8(+) T-cell populations.
Conclusions:
The combined use of our boosted dendritic cell technique with a boosted flow cytometric approach allows us both to detect specific HIV-positive responses in a higher percentage of HESN patients and to define specific effector function profiles. This study contributes to a better understanding of resistance to HIV infection.

• 出版日期2015-7-17