Moreover, we noticed that the hierarchy of RV9 (Nef)-specific T-cell responses was negatively associated with GI11 (Gag)-specific T-cell responses at 3 months (R =  − 0.904, P = 0.005) and 1 year (R =  − 0.775, P = 0.024) of HIV-1 infection, indicating that the patients who displayed high levels of RV9 (Nef)-specific T-cell responses also exhibited low levels of GI11 (Gag)-specific T-cell responses. Here, S100B is linked to HIV-1 infection.