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Human immunodeficiency virus gag and pol-specific CD8 T cells in perinatal HIV infection
T W McCloskey1, V Haridas, R Pahwa
1Department of Pediatrics, North Shore University Hospital / New York University School of Medicine, 350 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA.
Background:
Binding of fluorochrome-conjugated MHC class I tetramers is a powerful means to detect antigen-specific CD8 T lymphocytes. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, cellular immune response is essential in curtailing HIV disease progression but gaps persist in our understanding of HIV-specific cells during the disease course. In this study, we evaluated tetramer binding HIV-specific CD8 T cells in HIV-infected children.
Methods:
Fluorescently labeled tetramers for HIV gag and pol were utilized to quantify antigen-specific cells by flow cytometry using a whole blood labeling method in a cohort of 19 HLA-A2+ HIV-infected children (age range 1 month to 17 years).
Results:
Fourteen children had detectable gag (median 0.4%) and pol (median 0.1%) binding CD8 T cells, three children had gag binding cells only, and two had neither. Numbers of gag and pol binding cells correlated with each other and each correlated independently with total CD8 T cells and total CD4 T cells.
Conclusions:
HIV gag and pol-specific CD8 T cells are maintained during the chronic phase of HIV infection in children and CD4 lymphocytes appear to be important for sustaining their levels.