T-Cell Receptor (TCR) Clonotype-Specific Differences in Inhibitory Activity of HIV-1 Cytotoxic T-Cell Clones Is Not Mediated by TCR Alone.

Functional analysis of T-cell responses in HIV-infected individuals has indicated that virus-specific CD8+ T cells with superior antiviral efficacy are well represented in HIV-1 controllers but are rare or absent in HIV-1 progressors. To define the role of individual T-cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes in differential antiviral CD8+ T-cell function, we performed detailed functional and mass cytometric cluster analysis of multiple CD8+ T-cell clones recognizing the identical HLA-B*2705-restricted HIV-1 epitope KK10 (KRWIILGLNK). Effective and ineffective CD8+ T-cell clones segregated based on responses to HIV-1-infected and peptide-loaded target cells. Following cognate peptide stimulation, effective HIV-specific clones displayed significantly more rapid TCR signal propagation, more efficient initial lytic granule release, and more sustained nonlytic cytokine and chemokine secretion than ineffective clones. To evaluate the TCR clonotype contribution to CD8+ T-cell function, we cloned the TCR α and ß chain genes from one effective and two ineffective CD8+ T-cell clones from an elite controller into TCR-expressing lentivectors. We show that Jurkat/MA cells and primary CD8+ T cells transduced with lentivirus expressing TCR from one of the ineffective clones exhibited a level of activation by cognate peptide and inhibition of in vitro HIV-1 infection, respectively, that were comparable to those of the effective clonotype. Taken together, these data suggest that the potent antiviral capacity of some HIV-specific CD8+ T cells is a consequence of factors in addition to TCR sequence that modulate functionality and contribute to the increased antiviral capacity of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells in elite controllers to inhibit HIV infection.IMPORTANCE The greater ex vivo antiviral inhibitory activity of CD8+ T cells from elite controllers than from HIV-1 progressors supports the crucial role of effective HIV-specific CD8+ T cells in controlling HIV-1 replication. The contribution of TCR clonotype to inhibitory potency was investigated by delineating the responsiveness of effective and ineffective CD8+ T-cell clones recognizing the identical HLA-B*2705-restricted HIV-1 Gag-derived peptide, KK10 (KRWIILGLNK). KK10-stimulated "effective" CD8+ T-cell clones displayed significantly more rapid TCR signal propagation, more efficient initial lytic granule release, and more sustained cytokine and chemokine secretion than "ineffective" CD8+ T-cell clones. However, TCRs cloned from an effective and one of two ineffective clones conferred upon primary CD8+ T cells the equivalent potent capacity to inhibit HIV-1 infection. Taken together, these data suggest that other factors aside from intrinsic TCR-peptide-major histocompatibility complex (TCR-peptide-MHC) reactivity can contribute to the potent antiviral capacity of some HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell clones.

The complex and specific pMHC interactions with diverse HIV-1 TCR clonotypes reveal a structural basis for alterations in CTL function.

Immune control of viral infections is modulated by diverse T cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes engaging peptide-MHC class I complexes on infected cells, but the relationship between TCR structure and antiviral function is unclear. Here we apply in silico molecular modeling with in vivo mutagenesis studies to investigate TCR-pMHC interactions from multiple CTL clonotypes specific for a well-defined HIV-1 epitope. Our molecular dynamics simulations of viral peptide-HLA-TCR complexes, based on two independent co-crystal structure templates, reveal that effective and ineffective clonotypes bind to the terminal portions of the peptide-MHC through similar salt bridges, but their hydrophobic side-chain packings can be very different, which accounts for the major part of the differences among these clonotypes. Non-specific hydrogen bonding to viral peptide also accommodates greater epitope variants. Furthermore, free energy perturbation calculations for point mutations on the viral peptide KK10 show excellent agreement with in vivo mutagenesis assays, with new predictions confirmed by additional experiments. These findings indicate a direct structural basis for heterogeneous CTL antiviral function.

TCR clonotypes modulate the protective effect of HLA class I molecules in HIV-1 infection.

The human leukocyte antigens HLA-B27 and HLA-B57 are associated with protection against progression of disease that results from infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), yet most people with alleles encoding HLA-B27 and HLA-B57 are unable to control HIV-1. Here we found that HLA-B27-restricted CD8(+) T cells in people able to control infection with HIV-1 (controllers) and those who progress to disease after infection with HIV-1 (progressors) differed in their ability to inhibit viral replication through targeting of the immunodominant epitope of group-associated antigen (Gag) of HIV-1. This was associated with distinct T cell antigen receptor (TCR) clonotypes, characterized by superior control of HIV-1 replication in vitro, greater cross-reactivity to epitope variants and enhanced loading and delivery of perforin. We also observed clonotype-specific differences in antiviral efficacy for an immunodominant HLA-B57-restricted response in controllers and progressors. Thus, the efficacy of such so-called 'protective alleles' is modulated by specific TCR clonotypes selected during natural infection, which provides a functional explanation for divergent HIV-1 outcomes.