High-dimensional immunomonitoring models of HIV-1-specific CD8 T-cell responses accurately identify subjects achieving spontaneous viral control.

Unlabelled: The development of immunomonitoring models to determine HIV-1 vaccine efficacy is a major challenge. Studies suggest that HIV-1–specific CD8 T cells play a critical role in subjects achieving spontaneous viral control (HIV-1 controllers) and that they will be important in immune interventions. However, no single CD8 T-cell function is uniquely associated with controller status and the heterogeneity of responses targeting different epitopes further complicates the discovery of determinants of protective immunity.

Elite controllers with low to absent effector CD8+ T cell responses maintain highly functional, broadly directed central memory responses.

Analyses of the breadth and specificity of virus-specific CD8(+) T cell responses associated with control of HIV have largely relied on measurement of cytokine secretion by effector T cells. These have resulted in the identification of HIV elite controllers with low or absent responses in which non-T-cell mechanisms of control have been suggested. However, successful control of HIV infection may be associated with central memory T cells, which have not been consistently examined in these individuals.