Protocol for evaluating CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity in latently SHIV-infected rhesus macaques with HIV fusion-inhibitory lipopeptide monotherapy

Strong cellular immunity contributes to the control of HIV infection. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol to assess the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-specific CD8+ T cell responses by quantifying the degranulation, cytokine and chemokine production from SHIVSF162P3-infected rhesus macaques with an HIV fusion-inhibitory lipopeptide (LP-98) monotherapy. We also present the steps for adoptive transfer of an anti-CD8 antibody into a stable virologic control (SVC) group of LP-98-treated monkeys, confirming a direct role of CD8+ T cells in SVC macaques. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Xue et al. (2022). [Display omitted] •Recover PBMCs from latently SHIVSF162P3 infected rhesus macaques treated with LP-98•Evaluation of SIVmac239 Gag-specific CD8+ T cell responses•Adoptive transfer of anti-CD8 antibody to stable virologic control (SVC) macaques•Quantitative detection of CD8+ T cell counts and plasma viral RNA Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics. Strong cellular immunity contributes to the control of HIV infection. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol to assess the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-specific CD8+ T cell responses by quantifying the degranulation, cytokine and chemokine production from SHIVSF162P3-infected rhesus macaques with an HIV fusion-inhibitory lipopeptide (LP-98) monotherapy. We also present the steps for adoptive transfer of an anti-CD8 antibody into a stable virologic control (SVC) group of LP-98-treated monkeys, confirming a direct role of CD8+ T cells in SVC macaques.