SIV-Specific CD8+ T Cells are Phenotypically, Functionally, and Clonotypically Distinct Across Lymphoid and Mucosal Tissues

Abstract

CD8+ T cell responses are necessary for immune control of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). However, the key parameters that confer antiviral potency remain elusive, feasibly because most studies to date have been restricted to analyses of circulating CD8+ T cells. We conducted a detailed clonotypic, functional, and phenotypic survey of SIV-specific CD8+ T cells across multiple anatomical sites in chronically infected rhesus macaques with high (> 10,000 copies/mL plasma) or low burdens of viral RNA ( 10,000 copies/mL plasma) or low burdens of viral RNA (