Fig 4.

Early targeting of B57-restricted Gag epitopes correlates with better long-term outcomes. (a) Column height indicates the number of unique epitopes targeted within each individual. Black, dark gray, and light gray shading, epitopes derived from Gag, Pol, and Env, respectively; white, responses to epitopes from nonstructural proteins. The association between the breadth of CTL targeting of B57-restricted epitopes of Gag and slow progression to disease (c) was stronger than the association of CTL targeting of all Gag epitopes with slow progression (b). Exclusion of the data for participant N from the analyses in panels b and c yielded similar findings (not shown). The association between breadth of targeting of 3 immunodominant B57-restricted Gag epitopes (IW9, KF11, TW10) and slow disease progression (d) was stronger when the data for participant N were excluded from the analysis (e). The degree to which the CTL response was focused on IW9, KF11, and TW10 (quantified as the fraction of the total breadth that responded to these epitopes represented) did not correlate with time until disease (f). All participants are represented in the graphs, with the exception of that in panel e, in which the data for participant N were excluded from the analysis. The strength and statistical significance of the correlations were similar when adjusted for the effect of time of sampling on CTL targeting. Correlations and P values shown are calculated on the basis of Spearman's rank correlation.