CD8+ T cells are activated in an antigen-independent manner in HIV-infected individuals

Bastidas S, Graw F, Smith MZ, Kuster H, Guenthard HF, Oxenius A (2014)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2014

Journal

Journal of Immunology American Association of Immunologists

Book Volume: 192

Pages Range: 1732-1744

Journal Issue: 4

DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1302027

Abstract

Hyperactivation of T cells, particularly of CD8+ T cells, is a hallmark of chronic HIV 1 (HIV-1) infection. Little is known about the antigenic specificities and the mechanisms by which HIV-1 causes activation of CD8 + T cells during chronic infection. We report that CD8+ T cells were activated during in vivo HIV-1 replication irrespective of their Ag specificity. Cytokines present during untreated HIV-1 infection, most prominently IL-15, triggered proliferation and expression of activation markers in CD8+ T cells, but not CD4+ T cells, in the absence of TCR stimulation. Moreover, LPS or HIV-1-activated dendritic cells (DCs) stimulated CD8+ T cells in an IL-15-dependent but Ag-independent manner, and IL-15 expression was highly increased in DCs isolated from viremic HIV-1 patients, suggesting that CD8+ T cells are activated by inflammatory cytokines in untreated HIV-1 patients independent of Ag specificity. This finding contrasts with CD4+ T cells whose in vivo activation seems biased toward specificities for persistent Ags. These observations explain the higher abundance of activated CD8+ T cells compared with CD4+ T cells in untreated HIV-1 infection. Copyright © 2014 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Authors with CRIS profile

Frederik Graw

Involved external institutions

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich CH Switzerland (CH) University of Zurich / Universität Zürich (UZH) CH Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Bastidas, S., Graw, F., Smith, M.Z., Kuster, H., Guenthard, H.F., & Oxenius, A. (2014). CD8+ T cells are activated in an antigen-independent manner in HIV-infected individuals. Journal of Immunology, 192(4), 1732-1744. https://dx.doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1302027

MLA:

Bastidas, Sonia, et al. "CD8+ T cells are activated in an antigen-independent manner in HIV-infected individuals." Journal of Immunology 192.4 (2014): 1732-1744.

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