Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
18
Antigen-Specific Cytokine Responses
in HIV Disease
Vernon C. Maino,* Holden T. Maecker,* and Louis J. Picker
y
* BD Biosciences, San Jose, California, USA;
y
University of Oregon Health
Sciences Center±West Campus, Beaverton, Oregon, USA
CYTOKINES AS MARKERS FOR T-CELL FUNCTION IN HIV DISEASE
A number of viral pathogens including human immunode®ciency virus ( HIV )
have the capacity to establish chronic, often permanent, infection in which
e¨ective host immunity serves to contain the pathogen and prevent disease, but
does not eliminate the infection. Many recent studies have provided evidence
for the role of both CD4
and CD8
e¨ector T cells in maintaining immunity
in chronic viral infections. However, the critical contribution of the antigen-
speci®c responses within these major subpopulations remain unclear (Altfeld
and Rosenberg, 2000; McMichael, 2000; Picker and Maino, 2000). HIV-1 spe-
ci®c T-cell responses have been extensively investigated in untreated, chroni-
cally HIV-1-infected subjects using traditional proliferation or long-term cyto-
toxic T lymphocyte (CTL) assays. In general, such responses have been either
undetectable or low (stimulation indices
a
5) in the vast majority of subjects,
regardless of the stage of disease (Musey et al., 1999; Rosenberg and Walker,
1998; Valentine et al., 1998). These responses were largely directed at gag, al-
though responses directed towards env and pol determinants could sometimes
be detected ( Haas et al., 1998; McAdam et al., 1998; Picker and Maino, 2000;
Rosenberg et al., 1997; Rowland-Jones et al., 1998).
In the analysis of these studies, it is important to note that proliferation and
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