The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the immune system in the male reproductive tract as it relates to HIV infection. The PI proposes to determine the relationship between clinical parameters such as HIV-1 disease stage, antiviral therapy, genital tract inflammation and viral load, and measures of HIV-1 specific immunity in semen including antibody profiles, T cell phenotypic and functional characteristics, and immunoregulatory cytokine profiles. Further, they will perform a prospective study in newly seroconverted male patients of viral load and the development of cellular and humoral mucosal immune responses with the goal of demonstrating that these parameters differ from that in peripheral blood. Finally, they will evaluate CTL activity in semen from long-term non progressors and compare specificity of this activity to that in the peripheral blood. The study will employ archived semen from CDC and other sources, as well as prospectively collected specimens from the Fenway HIV Clinic. The purpose of these studies are to (i) determine if male genital tract CTLs represent a restricted or specialized cell population, and to (ii) provide information concerning CTL epitopes that may control HIV-1 infection in the genital tract.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01AI035564-05A1
Application #
2653841
Study Section
AIDS and Related Research Study Section 1 (ARRA)
Project Start
1993-11-01
Project End
2003-02-28
Budget Start
1998-03-15
Budget End
1999-02-28
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
071723621
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Pudney, Jeffrey; Anderson, Deborah (2011) Innate and acquired immunity in the human penile urethra. J Reprod Immunol 88:219-27
Anderson, Deborah; Politch, Joseph A; Pudney, Jeffrey (2011) HIV infection and immune defense of the penis. Am J Reprod Immunol 65:220-9
Politch, Joseph A; Mayer, Kenneth H; Anderson, Deborah J (2009) Depletion of CD4+ T cells in semen during HIV infection and their restoration following antiretroviral therapy. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 50:283-9
Bezold, Guntram; Politch, Joseph A; Kiviat, Nancy B et al. (2007) Prevalence of sexually transmissible pathogens in semen from asymptomatic male infertility patients with and without leukocytospermia. Fertil Steril 87:1087-97
Anderson, D J; Politch, J A; Tucker, L D et al. (1998) Quantitation of mediators of inflammation and immunity in genital tract secretions and their relevance to HIV type 1 transmission. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 14 Suppl 1:S43-9
Quayle, A J; Xu, C; Tucker, L et al. (1998) The case against an association between HIV-1 and sperm: molecular evidence. J Reprod Immunol 41:127-36
Quayle, A J; Coston, W M; Trocha, A K et al. (1998) Detection of HIV-1-specific CTLs in the semen of HIV-infected individuals. J Immunol 161:4406-10
Quayle, A J; Xu, C; Mayer, K H et al. (1997) T lymphocytes and macrophages, but not motile spermatozoa, are a significant source of human immunodeficiency virus in semen. J Infect Dis 176:960-8
Haimovici, F; Mayer, K H; Anderson, D J (1997) Quantitation of HIV-1-specific IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies in human genital tract secretions. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol 15:185-91
Anderson, D J (1996) The importance of mucosal immunology to problems in human reproduction. J Reprod Immunol 31:3-19