Abstract
Despite many years from the discovery of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a prophylactic vaccine against HIV is still needed. The failure of most of the vaccine clinical trials in the field has different causes, mainly due by the difficulties to identify the correct antigen able to prime the optimal B cell lineage and then make the series of somatic mutations necessary to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). B cells are responsible for the bNAbs production; however, their function is strongly influenced by the presence of a population of CD4+ T lymphocytes, mainly present in the lymphoid organs, the T follicular helper cells (Tfh). In this review, the importance of the contribution of Tfh cells in HIV response is highlighted and future therapy perspectives based on these observations are described. The advanced technology available nowadays and the wide knowledge built over the past years for HIV may eventually create the best scenario for the generation of an effective vaccine.
Highlights
The extraordinary complexity and precise organization of the immune system allows us to have an efficient tool against infectious agents and cellular damage
The sentence ‘‘there is no future without memory,’’ often used in other aspects of life, applies to an immune response
Immunological memory, a cardinal feature of the adaptive immune system, ensures recall of immunity to a previous pathogen and a rapid and highly effective response upon re-exposure. Both T and B cell lymphocytes, critical players of the adaptive immune system, are able to remember a pathogen for a long time and to generate either a cellular response and directly differentiate into a cytotoxic function, cytokine-mediated help for different elements of the immune system, and a humoral response mediated by secretion of antibodies (Hammarlund et al, 2003; Lanzavecchia and Sallusto, 2009)
Summary
The extraordinary complexity and precise organization of the immune system allows us to have an efficient tool against infectious agents and cellular damage. Immunological memory, a cardinal feature of the adaptive immune system, ensures recall of immunity to a previous pathogen and a rapid and highly effective response upon re-exposure Both T and B cell lymphocytes, critical players of the adaptive immune system, are able to remember a pathogen for a long time and to generate either a cellular response and directly differentiate into a cytotoxic function, cytokine-mediated help for different elements of the immune system, and a humoral response mediated by secretion of antibodies (Hammarlund et al, 2003; Lanzavecchia and Sallusto, 2009).
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