PMID: 29884618

Authors:

Galperin M, Farenc C, Mukhopadhyay M, Jayasinghe D, Decroos A, Benati D, Tan LL, Ciacchi L, Reid HH, Rossjohn J, Chakrabarti LA, Gras S

Title:

CD4(+) T cell-mediated HLA class II cross-restriction in HIV controllers.

Journal:

Sci Immunol. 2018 Jun 8;3(24). pii: 3/24/eaat0687. doi:, 10.1126/sciimmunol.aat0687.

Abstract:

Rare individuals, termed HIV controllers, spontaneously control HIV infection by mounting efficient T cell responses against the virus. Protective CD4(+) T cell responses from HIV controllers involve high-affinity public T cell receptors (TCRs) recognizing an immunodominant capsid epitope (Gag293) presented by a remarkably broad array of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecules. Here, we determine the structures of a prototypical public TCR bound to HLA-DR1, HLA-DR11, and HLA-DR15 molecules presenting the Gag293 epitope. TCR recognition was driven by contacts with the Gag293 epitope, a feature that underpinned the extensive HLA cross-restriction. These high-affinity TCRs promoted mature immunological synapse formation and cytotoxic capacity in both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. The public TCRs suppressed HIV replication in multiple genetic backgrounds ex vivo, emphasizing the functional advantage conferred by broad HLA class II cross-restriction.