Antibodies to Tat Associated with Lower AIDS Incidence

Abstract

The HIV protein Tat is expressed almost immediately upon HIV’s entry into cells and plays a key role in the viral life cycle. Small studies have indicated that strong immunologic responses to Tat may be associated with reduced HIV disease progression, leading to interest in Tat-based vaccines. To examine this relation further, researchers in Italy evaluated the presence of antibodies to Tat and the clinical progression of disease before and after the start of antiretroviral therapy. The study included 252 subjects …