Human leukocyte antigen class I molecules presenting HIVconsv-derived peptides (HLA-I/HIVconsv)

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules presenting HIVconsv-derived peptides are the primary immunological targets for T-cell-based HIV vaccines designed to provide broad protection against diverse viral strains. HIVconsv is a chimeric immunogen consisting of 14 highly conserved regions of the HIV-1 proteome, which are less likely to tolerate escape mutations (Hanke, 2019, Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS). These conserved segments are processed intracellularly and presented as short peptides (epitopes) on the cell surface by HLA class I molecules (Borthwick et al., 2014, Molecular Therapy). This presentation allows the immune system, specifically CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, to identify and destroy HIV-infected cells. Because these epitopes are shared across most HIV-1 clades, targeting this complex aims to overcome the challenge of viral global diversity (Mothe et al., 2015, Journal of Virology). Therapeutic interventions focusing on this target include various vaccine platforms, such as Chimpanzee Adenovirus (ChAdOx1) and Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vectors, which deliver the HIVconsv sequence to host cells to initiate the presentation process. Clinical trials have demonstrated that these vaccines can induce high frequencies of T cells specific for these conserved regions in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive individuals (Ahmed et al., 2019, PLOS ONE). The success of this target depends on the breadth of HLA alleles that can present the included peptides across different human populations.

Other names

MHC class I/HIVconsv complexHLA-I/HIV-1 conserved epitope complexHIVconsv-HLA complexConserved HIV-1 peptide-HLA class I complex

Induction of cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell responses that recognize and eliminate cells presenting conserved HIV-1 epitopes on HLA class I molecules.