The Journal of Experimental Medicine
3rd Skeletal Biology and Medicine Symposium
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents

Published online 8 January 2001.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental Material Index
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JEM
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Altfeld, M.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, B. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Altfeld, M.
Right arrow Articles by Walker, B. D.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
© The Rockefeller University Press, 0022-1007/2001/1/169/ $5.00
The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Volume 193, Number 2, January 15, 2001 169-180


Original Article

Cellular Immune Responses and Viral Diversity in Individuals Treated during Acute and Early HIV-1 Infection

Marcus Altfelda, Eric S. Rosenberga, Raj Shankarappad, Joia S. Mukherjeea, Frederick M. Hechtc, Robert L. Eldridgea, Marylyn M. Addoa, Samuel H. Poona, Mary N. Phillipsa, Gregory K. Robbinsa, Paul E. Saxe, Steve Boswellf, James O. Kahnb,c, Christian Brandera, Philip J.R. Gouldera, Jay A. Levyb, James I. Mullinsd, and Bruce D. Walkera
a Partners AIDS Research Center and Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129
b Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143
c Positive Health Program, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143
d Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
e Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
f Fenway Community Health Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Correspondence to: Bruce D. Walker, MGH-East, CNY 5212, 149 13th St., Charlestown, MA 02129. Tel:617-724-8332 Fax:617-726-4691 E-mail:bwalker{at}helix.mgh.harvard.edu.

Immune responses induced during the early stages of chronic viral infections are thought to influence disease outcome. Using HIV as a model, we examined virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), T helper cells, and viral genetic diversity in relation to duration of infection and subsequent response to antiviral therapy. Individuals with acute HIV-1 infection treated before seroconversion had weaker CTL responses directed at fewer epitopes than persons who were treated after seroconversion. However, treatment-induced control of viremia was associated with the development of strong T helper cell responses in both groups. After 1 yr of antiviral treatment initiated in acute or early infection, all epitope-specific CTL responses persisted despite undetectable viral loads. The breadth and magnitude of CTL responses remained significantly less in treated acute infection than in treated chronic infection, but viral diversity was also significantly less with immediate therapy. We conclude that early treatment of acute HIV infection leads to a more narrowly directed CTL response, stronger T helper cell responses, and a less diverse virus population. Given the need for T helper cells to maintain effective CTL responses and the ability of virus diversification to accommodate immune escape, we hypothesize that early therapy of primary infection may be beneficial despite induction of less robust CTL responses. These data also provide rationale for therapeutic immunization aimed at broadening CTL responses in treated primary HIV infection.

Key Words: cytotoxic T lymphocytes, T helper cell responses, viral evolution, cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, human leukocyte antigen


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:



  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search
TABLE OF CONTENTS