Characterization of HIV-1 Gag-specific proliferative T cell responses in Chinese HIV-1 infected patients

Abstract

To investigate the characteristics of HIV-1 Gag-specific T lymphocyte proliferative responses in Chinese HIV infected patients, analyze their associations with disease progression and explore the mechanism of the HIV-specific immune dysfunction in HIV infection. Specific proliferative responses of PBMC from thirty four HIV-1 infected patients to HIV-1 Gag antigen were detected by a BrdU incorporated flow cytometry intracellular stain, their relations with CD4(+) T cells absolute counts, plasma viral loads and CD8(+) T cell activate status were analyzed. HIV-1 Gag-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferative responses of HIV-infected patients were significantly lower than that of healthy controls (P < 0.01), correlated inversely to CD38 expression on CD8(+) T lymphocytes and plasma viral loads (P < 0.05, P < 0.05), and directly to CD4(+) T cell absolute counts (P < 0.01). HIV-1 Gag-specific CD8(+) T cell proliferative responses of HIV-infected patients were significantly higher than that of healthy controls (P < 0.01), correlated directly to CD38 expression on CD8(+) T lymphocytes (P < 0.05), and inversely to CD4(+) T cell absolute counts (P < 0.01), but not correlated to viral loads (P > 0.05). HIV-1 Gag-specific T cell proliferative response were abnormal in Chinese HIV-1 infected persons, HIV-1 Gag-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferative responses were decreased and their frequencies were closely correlated with disease progression.