Regulatory T cell abundance and activation status before and after priming with HIVIS-DNA and boosting with MVA-HIV/rgp140/GLA-AF may impact the magnitude of the vaccine-induced immune responses.

Little is known about regulatory CD4 T cells (Tregs) in the context of HIV vaccines. Tregs can be differentiated into resting (FoxP3CD45RA - rTregs), activated (FoxP3CD45RA - aTregs) and memory (FoxP3CD45RA - mTregs). Tregs, as CD4 T cells, are also frequent targets for HIV infection.