FIG 1.

Total frequency of the immunological response to HIV potential T cell epitope peptide stimulation in memory T cells. (A) Blood was drawn from chronically HIV-infected patients. In parallel, blood was collected 24 weeks after vaccination with ALVAC-HIV encoding Gag and Env. PBMCs isolated from the blood were stimulated with HIV peptide pools and analyzed via flow cytometry for the frequency of Env/Gag-specific memory T cells (CD45RO⁺) expressing either CD40L, CD107a, IFN-γ, IL-21, or TNF-α. (B) PBMCs from chronically HIV-infected (chronic; n = 6) or ALVAC-HIV-vaccinated (n = 97) patients were stimulated with either HIV Env or Gag potential T cell peptide pools and the response measured as described above. (C) PBMCs from uninfected (n = 6), chronically HIV-positive (n = 18), and vaccine trial (ALVAC [n = 21], ALVAC-DC [n = 18], ALVAC-ID [n = 21], ALVAC-IM [n = 21], ALVAC/AIDSVAX [n = 18], MVA-ID [n = 39], and MVA-IM [n = 30]) patients were compared by use of the frequencies of CXCR5-expressing CD4⁺ T cells after Env stimulation (results for Gag were similar [data not shown]). For statistical analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test was performed, and the representation of P values by asterisks is shown according to the style of the New England Journal of Medicine.