A 23-Year-Old Man Who Was Recently Infected by the HIV

A 23-year-old man who was recently infected by the HIV virus volunteered for investigative studies of his immune response to the virus. Investigators identified cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the patient's blood that recognized a particular peptide derived from a protein encoded by the HIV gag gene. Six months later, viral isolates from the patient showed point mutations in the gag gene sequence encoding that peptide. Which of the following statements about the HIV gag mutations is most likely to be correct?

A) The patient's CTL response to the virus provided selective pressure for the emergence of virus carrying the mutation.
B) The CTL that recognized the original gag-encoded peptide will still be able to recognize the mutated Gag peptide.
C) The CTLs specific for the original Gag peptide were incapable of killing HIV-infected cells.
D) The gag mutation will enhance the ability of natural killer cells to recognize and kill HIV infected cells.
E) The gag mutations have more relevance to the viral evasion of the antibody response rather than the CTL response.