Identification of HLA-A2-restricted CD8(+) cytotoxic T cell responses in primary biliary cirrhosis: T cell activation is augmented by immune complexes cross-presented by dendritic cells.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized by an intense biliary inflammatory CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response. Very limited information on autoantigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses is available compared with autoreactive CD4(+) T cell responses. Using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from PBC, we identified an HLA-A2-restricted CTL epitope of the E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDC-E2), the immunodominant mitochondrial autoantigen.

Adoptive transfer of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) naïve autologous CD4(+) cells to macaques chronically infected with SIV is sufficient to induce long-term nonprogressor status.

Adoptive transfer of autologous preinfection-collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or activated CD4(+) T cells was performed in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac239)-infected monkeys following short-term antiviral therapy with PMPA (9-R-[2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl] adenine). Short-term chemotherapy alone led to a transient decrease in plasma and cellular proviral DNA loads and transient rescue of gag/pol and env cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors (pCTLs). However, cessation of therapy allowed for SIV infection to resume its clinical course.