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Experiment Table CD4+ T lymphocyte counts and viral RNA
Neutralizing Antibody Assays
Peptide-binding Assays
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These data inform us on what epitopes are being targetted by the immune system based on the epitope specific CD8 cells present at the time of sampling. These graphs plot the changes in the response by monkey 798 to the specific epitope over the course of the trial. Recall that at about week twenty viral replication initially increased and at about week 36 was when the first decline in CD4 levels were measured.
The p41A epitope is a region of the env gene. Following week twenty-four or so, the response to this epitope increased dramatically.
This graph shows the response of the immune system to the Pol gene epitope p68A. Again, following week twenty-four we see an increase in the number of p68A circulating cells.
The p11C epitope is from a portion of the Gag gene. Unlike the other two epitopes, there is an obvious decline in the immune activity regarding this epitope. Following increased levels of viral replication, the immune system is exposed to increased levels of each of these epitopes, which would expectedly result in increased numbers of circulating CD8 cells specific for these epitopes. However, the p11Ce epitope has changed such that the new form no longer elicits the response from the immune system that it did prior to the development of the mutation.
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