Programmed death-1 expression on HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells is shaped by epitope specificity, T-cell receptor clonotype usage and antigen load

Henrik N Kløverpris, Reuben McGregor, James E McLaren, Kristin Ladell, Anette Stryhn Buus, Catherine Koofhethile, Jacqui Brener, Fabian Chen, Lynn Riddell, Luzzi Graziano, Paul Klenerman, Alasdair Leslie, Søren Buus, David A Price, Philip Goulder

    11 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    OBJECTIVES: Although CD8+ T cells play a critical role in the control of HIV-1 infection,their antiviral efficacy can be limited by antigenic variation and immune exhaustion.The latter phenomenon is characterized by the upregulation of multiple inhibitory receptors, such as programmed death-1 (PD-1), CD244 and lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), which modulate the functional capabilities of CD8+ T cells.

    DESIGN AND METHODS: Here, we used an array of different human leukocyte antigen(HLA)-B*15:03 and HLA-B*42:01 tetramers to characterize inhibitory receptor expression as a function of differentiation on HIV-1-specific CD8+ T-cell populations(n = 128) spanning 11 different epitope targets.

    RESULTS: Expression levels of PD-1, but not CD244 or LAG-3, varied substantially across epitope specificities both within and between individuals. Differential expression of PD-1 on T-cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes within individual HIV-1-specific CD8+ T-cell populations was also apparent, independent of clonal dominance hierarchies. Positive correlations were detected between PD-1 expression and plasma viral load, which were reinforced by stratification for epitope sequence stability and dictated by effector memory CD8+ T cells.

    CONCLUSION: Collectively, these data suggest that PD-1 expression on HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells tracks antigen load at the level of epitope specificity and TCR clonotype usage. These findings are important because they provide evidence that PD-1 expression levels are influenced by peptide/HLA class I antigen exposure.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalAIDS (London, England)
    Volume28
    Issue number14
    Pages (from-to)2007-21
    Number of pages15
    ISSN0269-9370
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 10 Sept 2014

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