ABSTRACT
HIV causes infection and progressive depletion of human CD4 T cells. Emerging data have shown that antigen-specific CD4 T-cell subsets manifest differential susceptibility to HIV, potentially leading to pathogen-specific immune failure and opportunistic infections. This concept was recently explored in context of vectors utilized in HIV vaccine trials, and the data suggest that adenovirus type 5(Ad5)-specific CD4 T cells elicited by Ad5-HIV vaccine may be particularly susceptible to HIV, potentially rendering Ad5 vaccine recipients susceptible to HIV acquisition. We here examined recent data regarding the HIV susceptibility of antigen-specific CD4 T cells induced during infection or HIV vaccination and discussed its potential impact on HIV acquisition risk posed by HIV vaccination.
Financial and competing interests disclosure
This work was funded by grants from NIH (R21AI110214) and the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation (to H Hu). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.