Open AccessLow levels of SIV-specific CD8+ T cells in germinal centers characterizes acute SIV infection
Author(s) -
Shengbin Li,
Joy M. Folkvord,
Katalin Kovács,
Reece Wagstaff,
Gwantwa Mwakalundwa,
Aaron Rendahl,
Eva G. Rakasz,
Elizabeth Connick,
Pamela J. Skinner
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos pathogens
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.719
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1553-7374
pISSN - 1553-7366
DOI - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007311
Subject(s) - biology , cd8 , simian immunodeficiency virus , germinal center , immunology , cytotoxic t cell , virology , chronic infection , immune system , perforin , interleukin 21 , antibody , b cell , in vitro , biochemistry
CD8+ T cells play an important role in controlling of HIV and SIV infections. However, these cells are largely excluded from B cell follicles where HIV and SIV producing cells concentrate during chronic infection. It is not known, however, if antigen-specific CD8+ T cells are excluded gradually as pathogenesis progresses from early to chronic phase, or this phenomenon occurs from the beginning infection. In this study we determined that SIV-specific CD8+ T cells were largely excluded from follicles during early infection, we also found that within follicles, they were entirely absent in 60% of the germinal centers (GCs) examined. Furthermore, levels of SIV-specific CD8+ T cells in follicular but not extrafollicular areas significantly correlated inversely with levels of viral RNA+ cells. In addition, subsets of follicular SIV-specific CD8+ T cells were activated and proliferating and expressed the cytolytic protein perforin. These studies suggest that a paucity of SIV-specific CD8+ T cells in follicles and complete absence within GCs during early infection may set the stage for the establishment of persistent chronic infection.