5th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Chicago, IL - February 1-5, 1998

Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect 1998 Feb 1-5; 5th:227 (abstract no. L3)

Letvin NL, Shen L, Reimann KA, Miller C, Chen ZW, Schmitz JE, Kuroda MJ; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

The CD8+ T lymphocyte response to SIVmac was studied during primary infection in monkeys to characterize its temporal evolution, anatomic distribution, clonality and magnitude. Seventy-two hours following vaginal exposure to cell-free virus, SIVmac Gag-specific CTL could be cloned from vaginal mucosa and peripheral lymph nodes but not peripheral blood lymphocytes of monkeys. By 1-2 weeks after intravenous infection, the CD8+ cells in lymph nodes and PBL were shown by T cell receptor repertoire analysis to be Vbeta-restricted and oligoclonal in their CDR3 sequences. Finally, technologies were adapted to analyze MHC class I/peptide epitope-specific CD8+ T cells by flow cytometry using fluorescence-labeled tetrameric complexes of the rhesus monkey MHC class I molecule Mamu-A*01/SIVmac Gag peptide 11C/beta-2 microglobulin. PBL binding of these tetrameric complexes was demonstrable by 11 days and constituted as much as 7% of specific CD8+ cells 13 days following infection. Thus, MHC class I-restricted, CTL epitope-specific CD8+ CTL represent a predominant early immune response during primary SIVmac infection.

1998-02-01
L3

Copyright © 1998 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Licensed from National Library of Medicine.