Effect of CD8~+ T Cell Depletion in Vivo on Monkeys with Chronic SHIV-KB9 Infection

Objective CD8+ T cells play an important role in some viral diseases,but the role of CD8+ T cells is not yet fully clear in the asymptomatic phase of HIV infection.The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of CD8 + T cell in SHIV-infected monkeys with in vivo CD8 + T cells depletion,and to further understand the pathogenesis of AIDS.Methods Eight SHIV-infected rhesus monkeys in the asymptomatic phase were selected and randomly divided into two groups.Anti-CD8 + T antibody cM-T807 were injected intravenously into four monkeys on days 0,3,and 7.Then the CD8 + T cell number in peripheral blood and lymph nodes in the monkeys were detected by flow cytometry,the plasma viral load by real-time RT-PCR,and the cellular immunity by IFN-γ Elispot assay.Results The viral load of the four monkeys was elevated to above of detected after the CD8 + T cell depletion,but the reactions were not uniform.CD4 + T cells,the HIV-1 target cells,rebound and dropped slightly.The infection of monkeys with CD8 + T cell depletion was lighter than that after the SHIV virus first infection(plasma viral load and CD4 cells),which was consistent with the Elispot results.Conclusions CD8 + T cells play an important role in the asymptomatic phase of HIV-1 infection,but with some interindividual variation.