The Role of T-cell Exhaustion and other HIV-Associated Cellular Pathways in the CD8+ T-cell Immune Response Decline during HIV Infection

Abstract

CD8+ T-cells are important mediators for adaptive immunity. During chronic HIV infection, HIV-specific CD8+ T-cells are continually exposed to HIV antigens, leading to their exhaustion, which is characterized by the progressive loss of their effector functions. In addition to HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell exhaustion, there are other cellular pathways that take place during HIV infection, which bring about the decline of the overall CD8+ T-cell response. It is important to understand how all of these pathways, individually and interactively, contribute to CD8+ T-cell immunity.