Abstract
Viral escape from cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can undermine immune control of human immunodeficiency virus 1. It is therefore important to assess the stability of viral mutations in CTL epitopes after transmission to naive hosts. Here we demonstrate the persistence of mutations in a dominant CTL epitope after transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus variants to major histocompatibility complex–matched rhesus monkeys. Transient reversions to wild-type sequences occurred and elicited CTLs specific for the wild-type epitope, resulting in immunological pressure that rapidly reselected the mutant viruses. These data suggest that mutations in dominant human immunodeficiency virus 1 CTL epitopes may accumulate in human populations with limited major histocompatibility complex heterogeneity by a mechanism involving dynamic CTL control of transiently reverted wild-type virus.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Koup, R.A. et al. Temporal association of cellular immune responses with the initial control of viremia in primary human immunodeficiency virus type 1 syndrome. J. Virol. 68, 4650–4655 (1994).
Schmitz, J.E. et al. Control of viremia in simian immunodeficiency virus infection by CD8+ lymphocytes. Science 283, 857–860 (1999).
Musey, L. et al. Cytotoxic-T-cell responses, viral load, and disease progression in early human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. N. Engl. J. Med. 337, 1267–1274 (1997).
Phillips, R.E. et al. Human immunodeficiency virus genetic variation that can escape cytotoxic T cell recognition. Nature 354, 453–459 (1991).
Koenig, S. et al. Transfer of HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes to an AIDS patient leads to selection for mutant HIV variants and subsequent disease progression. Nat. Med. 1, 330–336 (1995).
Borrow, P. et al. Antiviral pressure exerted by HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) during primary infection demonstrated by rapid selection of CTL escape virus. Nat. Med. 3, 205–211 (1997).
Goulder, P.J. et al. Late escape from an immunodominant cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response associated with progression to AIDS. Nat. Med. 3, 212–217 (1997).
Price, D.A. et al. Positive selection of HIV-1 cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape variants during primary infection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 1890–1895 (1997).
Geels, M.J. et al. Identification of sequential viral escape mutants associated with altered T-cell responses in a human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected individual. J. Virol. 77, 12430–12440 (2003).
Evans, D.T. et al. Virus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses select for amino-acid variation in simian immunodeficiency virus Env and Nef. Nat. Med. 5, 1270–1276 (1999).
Allen, T.M. et al. Tat-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes select for SIV escape variants during resolution of primary viremia. Nature 407, 386–390 (2000).
O'Connor, D.H. et al. Acute phase cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape is a hallmark of simian immunodeficiency virus infection. Nat. Med. 8, 493–499 (2002).
Moore, C.B. et al. Evidence of HIV-1 adaptation to HLA-restricted immune responses at a population level. Science 296, 1439–1443 (2002).
Barouch, D.H. et al. Control of viremia and prevention of clinical AIDS in rhesus monkeys by cytokine-augmented DNA vaccination. Science 290, 486–492 (2000).
Egan, M.A. et al. Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) gag DNA-vaccinated rhesus monkeys develop secondary cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses and control viral replication after pathogenic SIV infection. J. Virol. 74, 7485–7495 (2000).
Barouch, D.H. et al. Eventual AIDS vaccine failure in a rhesus monkey by viral escape from cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Nature 415, 335–339 (2002).
Barouch, D.H. et al. Viral escape from dominant SIV epitope-specific CTL in DNA vaccinated rhesus monkeys. J. Virol. 77, 7367–7375 (2003).
Miller, M.D., Yamamoto, H., Hughes, A.H., Watkins, D.I. & Letvin, N.L. Definition of an epitope and MHC class I molecule recognized by Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in SIVmac-infected rhesus monkeys. J. Immunol. 147, 320–329 (1991).
Allen, T.M. et al. Characterization of the peptide binding motif of a rhesus MHC class I molecule (Mamu-A*01) that binds an immunodominant CTL epitope from SIV. J. Immunol. 160, 6062–6071 (1998).
Seth, A. et al. Immunization with a modified vaccinia virus expressing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Gag-Pol primes for an anamnestic Gag-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response and is associated with reduction of viremia after SIV challenge. J. Virol. 74, 2502–2509 (2000).
Ourmanov, I. et al. Comparative efficacy of recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara expressing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Gag-Pol and/or Env in macaques challenged with pathogenic SIV. J. Virol. 74, 2740–2751 (2000).
Altman, J.D. et al. Phenotypic analysis of antigen-specific T lymphocytes. Science 274, 94–96 (1996).
Kuroda, M.J. et al. Analysis of Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected rhesus monkeys by cell staining with a tetrameric major histocompatibility complex class I-peptide complex. J. Exp. Med. 187, 1373–1381 (1998).
Leslie, A.J. et al. HIV evolution: CTL escape mutation and reversion after transmission. Nat. Med. 10, 282–289 (2004).
Friedrich, T.C. et al. Reversion of CTL escape-variant immunodeficiency viruses in vivo. Nat. Med. 10, 275–281 (2004).
Hirsch, V. et al. A molecularly cloned, pathogenic, neutralization-resistant simian immunodeficiency virus, SIVsmE543–3. J. Virol. 71, 1608–1620 (1997).
Peyerl, F.W. et al. Simian-human immunodeficiency virus escape from cytotoxic T-lymphocyte recognition at a structurally constrained epitope. J. Virol. 77, 12572–12578 (2003).
Friedrich, T.C. et al. Extraepitopic compensatory substitutions partially restore fitness to simian immunodeficiency virus variants that escape from an immunodominant cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte response. J. Virol. 78, 2581–2585 (2004).
Matano, T. et al. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-based control of simian immunodeficiency virus replication in a preclinical AIDS vaccine trial. J. Exp. Med. 199, 1709–1718 (2004).
Goulder, P.J. et al. Evolution and transmission of stable CTL escape mutations in HIV infection. Nature 412, 334–338 (2001).
Acknowledgements
We thank S. Sumida, J. Schmitz, S. Santra, and K. Reimann for advice, assistance and reagents. Peptides were obtained from the National Institutes of Health AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program. Supported by US National Institutes of Health (AI-20729 to N.L.L.; AI-58727 and AI-51223 to D.H.B.; and P51 RR-00168 to the New England Primate Research Center).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barouch, D., Powers, J., Truitt, D. et al. Dynamic immune responses maintain cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope mutations in transmitted simian immunodeficiency virus variants. Nat Immunol 6, 247–252 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1167
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1167
This article is cited by
-
Mosaic HIV-1 vaccines expand the breadth and depth of cellular immune responses in rhesus monkeys
Nature Medicine (2010)
-
Effects of MIP-1α, MIP-3α, and MIP-3β on the Induction of HIV Gag-specific Immune Response with DNA Vaccines
Molecular Therapy (2007)
-
CTL responses to HIV and SIV: wrestling with smoke
Nature Immunology (2005)