Identification of HIV-1-specific regulatory T-cells using HLA class II tetramers.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are potent immune modulators, but their precise role in HIV pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Most studies to date have focused on frequencies or phenotypes of 'bulk' Treg populations. However, although antigen-specific Tregs have been reported in other diseases, HIV-1 epitope-specific Tregs have not been described to date. We here report the first identification of functional HIV-1-Gag-specific regulatory T cells using human leukocyte antigen class II tetramer staining in HIV-1-infected individuals.