AUTHOR=Guo An-Liang , Zhao Jin-Fang , Gao Lin , Huang Hui-Huang , Zhang Ji-Yuan , Zhang Chao , Song Jin-Wen , Xu Ruo-Nan , Fan Xing , Shi Ming , Jiao Yan-Mei , Wang Fu-Sheng 

TITLE=HIV-1-Specific CD11c+ CD8+ T Cells Display Low PD-1 Expression and Strong Anti-HIV-1 Activity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2021.757457

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2021.757457

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Exhaustion of HIV-1-specific CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells prevents optimal control of HIV-1 infection. Identifying unconventional CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell subsets to effectively control HIV-1 replication is vital. In this study, the role of CD11c<sup>+</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells during HIV-1 infection was evaluated. The frequencies of CD11c<sup>+</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells significantly increased and were negatively correlated with viral load in HIV-1-infected treatment-naïve patients. HIV-1-specific cells were enriched more in CD11c<sup>+</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells than in CD11c<sup>-</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells, which could be induced by HIV-1-derived overlapping peptides, marking an HIV-1-specific CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell population. This subset expressed higher levels of activating markers (CD38 and HLA-DR), cytotoxic markers (granzyme B, perforin, and CD107a), and cytokines (IL-2 and TNF-α), with lower levels of PD-1 compared to the CD11c<sup>-</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell subset. In vitro analysis verified that CD11c<sup>+</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells displayed a stronger HIV-1-specific killing capacity than the CD11c<sup>-</sup> counterparts. These findings indicate that CD11c<sup>+</sup> CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells have potent immunotherapeutic efficacy in controlling HIV-1 infection.</p>