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TY - JOUR AU - Douek, Daniel C. AU - Brenchley, Jason M. AU - Betts, Michael R. AU - Ambrozak, David R. AU - Hill, Brenna J. AU - Okamoto, Yukari AU - Casazza, Joseph P. AU - Kuruppu, Janaki AU - Kunstman, Kevin AU - Wolinsky, Steven AU - Grossman, Zvi AU - Dybul, Mark AU - Oxenius, Annette AU - Price, David A. AU - Connors, Mark AU - Koup, Richard A. PY - 2002 DA - 2002/05/01 TI - HIV preferentially infects HIV-specific CD4+ T cells JO - Nature SP - 95 EP - 98 VL - 417 IS - 6884 AB - HIV infection is associated with the progressive loss of CD4+ T cells through their destruction or decreased production1,2. A central, yet unresolved issue of HIV disease is the mechanism for this loss, and in particular whether HIV-specific CD4+ T cells are preferentially affected3,4,5. Here we show that HIV-specific memory CD4+ T cells in infected individuals contain more HIV viral DNA than other memory CD4+ T cells, at all stages of HIV disease. Additionally, following viral rebound during interruption of antiretroviral therapy, the frequency of HIV viral DNA in the HIV-specific pool of memory CD4+ T cells increases to a greater extent than in memory CD4+ T cells of other specificities. These findings show that HIV-specific CD4+ T cells are preferentially infected by HIV in vivo. This provides a potential mechanism to explain the loss of HIV-specific CD4+ T-cell responses, and consequently the loss of immunological control of HIV replication6. Furthermore, the phenomenon of HIV specifically infecting the very cells that respond to it adds a cautionary note to the practice of structured therapy interruption. SN - 1476-4687 UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/417095a DO - 10.1038/417095a ID - Douek2002 ER -