HIV-1 Nef protein protects infected primary cells against killing by cytotoxic T lymphocytes

Kathleen L. Collins, Benjamin K. Chen, Spyros A. Kalams, Bruce D. Walker and David Baltimore ()
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Kathleen L. Collins: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Benjamin K. Chen: AIDS Research Center and Infectious Disease Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
Spyros A. Kalams: Combined Infectious Disease Training Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital
Bruce D. Walker: Combined Infectious Disease Training Program, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital
David Baltimore: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature, 1998, vol. 391, issue 6665, 397-401

Abstract: Abstract Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) lyse virally infected cells that display viral peptide epitopes in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules on the cell surface. However, despite a strong CTL response directed against viral epitopes, untreated people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) develop AIDS. To resolve this enigma, we have examined the ability of CTLs to recognize and kill infected primary T lymphocytes. We found that CTLs inefficiently lysed primary cells infected with HIV-1 if the viral nef gene product was expressed. Resistance of infected cells to CTL killing correlated with nef-mediated downregulation of MHC class I (ref. 1) and could be overcome by adding an excess of the relevant HIV-1 epitope as soluble peptide. Thus, Nef protected infected cells by reducing the epitope density on their surface. This effect of nef may allow evasion of CTL lysis by HIV-1-infected cells.

Date: 1998
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DOI: 10.1038/34929

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