Analysis of HIV-1c-Specific CTL Responses with HIV-1 Reservoir Size and Forms

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are critical in cellular immune responses; therefore the study of CTL responses is profound in HIV-1 eradication. We aim to dissect the relationship between HIV-1 reservoir size and the magnitude and recognition of viral-specific CTL responses. An IFN-gamma ELISpot assay with peptides spanning the HIV-1 clade C consensus sequences were designed to analyze HIV-1c-specific CTL responses. HIV-1 DNA, integrated HIV-1 DNA, and 2-LTR HIV-1 DNA were quantitated by real-time PCR. We observed significant increases in total HIV-1 DNA and integrated HIV-1 DNA after highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) compared with naive patients. Total HIV-1 DNA had a significant negative correlation with HIV-1c-specific CTL response magnitude. Baseline CD4(+) T lymphocyte counts and antiretroviral treatment affected the size of the HIV-1 reservoirs. Taken together, HIV-1-specific CTL responses correlated with the size of HIV-1 reservoir. In addition, HIV-1-specific CTL response against p17 was associated with low integral efficiency of HIV-1, which might be a biomarker to evaluate the efficacy of HAART.