research
Capacity of toxitoxic T lymphocytes to control the reproduction of human immunodeficiency virus
- Publication date
- 30 May 2002
- Publisher
- The focus of the work presented in this thesis is on CTL directed against HIV-1.
Chapter 2 addresses frequencies of circulating CTL, their specificity at the protein
and epitope level, and associations of CTL responses with rapid or slow disease
progression in HIV -1 infection. Studies on the capacity of CTL to control
reproduction of HIV are presented in chapter 3. Together, the data presented in
chapters 2 and 3 support the concept that CTL directed against the early regulatory
proteins Rev and Tat are more effective in controlling HIV reproduction than CTL
directed against the late structural proteins Gag and RT.
The main hypothesis addressed in this thesis is that CTL control reproduction of
HIV more effectively if they are able to recognize infected cells earlier after the entry
of virus. This would enable CTL to eliminate more infected cells before release of
infectious progeny virus begins, and thus to prevent more subsequent infection
cycles.
This hypothesis was also tested in vivo by comparing the ability of cynomolgus
macaques to control an experimental SIV infection after being vaccinated with Rev
and Tat or with Gag and RT. The results of these studies are in described in chapter
4. Chapter 5 discusses the findings presented in this thesis and their significance for
AIDS vaccine development. A summary is provided in chapter 6.