Impact of protective killer inhibitory receptor/human leukocyte antigen genotypes on natural killer cell and T-cell function in HIV-1-infected controllers.

Objective: Both protective T-cell genotypes and natural killer (NK) cell genotypes have been associated with delayed progression to AIDS and shown to be co-inherited in HIV-1-infected individuals who limit viral replication in absence of antiretroviral therapy ('controllers'). However, a comparative analysis of the genotype and function of the innate and adaptive immune compartments in HIV-1-infected controller individuals has been understudied to date.

Design: Here, we simultaneously tested NK and T-cell function in controllers to investigate the mechanism(s) that might account for host immune control over viral replication.