HLA Alleles Associated with Delayed Progression to AIDS Contribute Strongly to the Initial CD8+ T Cell Response against HIV-1 (original) (raw)
Figure 2
CD8+ T Cell responses Directed against the Most Frequently Recognized CD8+ T Cell Epitopes Were Also of the Highest Magnitude
(A) For each HLA class I allele studied, the four most frequently targeted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes were listed according to their hierarchy (for HLA class I alleles with only three described epitopes, the fourth value was excluded from the analysis). The average magnitudes of CD8+ T cell responses directed against the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th most frequently targeted epitope for each allele were calculated (given as SFCs per million input PBMCs [SFC/Mill PBMC]) and are shown as box plots. The average magnitude of the most frequently targeted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes restricted by each allele were significantly higher than the average magnitude of the 3rd and 4th most frequently targeted epitopes, and the respective _p_-values are provided above the box plot.
(B) The sequence conservation within targeted CD8+ T cell epitopes does not contribute significantly to the observed immunodominance patterns of HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell response in primary infection. For each HLA class I alleles studied, the four most frequently targeted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes were listed according to their hierarchy (for HLA class I alleles with only three described epitopes; the fourth value was excluded from the analysis). The average sequence conservations, in comparison to HIV-1 clade B sequences published in the Los Alamos Database, of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th most frequently targeted epitope for each allele were calculated (given as percent sequence conservation) and are shown as box plots. The average percentage of sequence conservation of the four most frequently targeted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes restricted by each allele did not differ significantly.