Investigation of immune quiescence: assessing the role of regulatory T cells and their link with IRF-1 in HIV-exposed sero-negative individuals

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dc.contributor.authorAbdullahi, Abdirahman
dc.contributor.examiningcommitteeBall, Blake (Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) Mookherjee, Neeloffer (Immunology)en_US
dc.contributor.supervisorFowke, Keith (Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-05T15:48:17Z
dc.date.available2017-01-05T15:48:17Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.degree.disciplineMedical Microbiologyen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science (M.Sc.)en_US
dc.description.abstractRecent research of a cohort of HIV exposed sero-negative (HESN) female commercial sex workers in Nairobi has revealed an Immune Quiescent phenotype; characterized by reduced T cell activation and higher regulatory T cells (Tregs) in peripheral blood. HESN women also express lower levels of interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1), a critical regulator known to negatively impact Treg development in mice. In this study, we analyzed the functional capacity of Tregs by an in vitro depletion assay and measured functionality by flow cytometry. Data showed Tregs suppressed CD4+ and CD8+ proliferation responses. We characterized the link between Tregs and IRF-1 in HESN and observed an inverse correlation between IRF-1 expression and Treg proportions. We also established reduced expression of IRF-1 in Tregs of healthy donors by flow cytometry. In a separate study, flow cytometric analysis of high-risk sex-workers revealed that CTLA-4 expression in memory CD4+cells, not Treg frequency, was associated with HIV seroconversion.en_US
dc.description.noteFebruary 2017en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1993/31977
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsopen accessen_US
dc.subjectHIVen_US
dc.subjectRegulatory T cellsen_US
dc.subjectNatural HIV Protectionen_US
dc.titleInvestigation of immune quiescence: assessing the role of regulatory T cells and their link with IRF-1 in HIV-exposed sero-negative individualsen_US
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
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