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Journal of Virology, June 2002, p. 6016-6026, Vol. 76, No. 12
0022-538X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.76.12.6016-6026.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Basic Research Laboratory, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892,1 Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biology, National Cancer Institute-Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, Maryland 21702,2 Advanced BioScience Laboratories, Inc., Kensington, Maryland 20895,3 Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP4 OJG, United Kingdom4
Received 24 January 2002/ Accepted 11 March 2002
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A few immunologic and genetic host factors have been identified which influence HIV or SIV infection and viral replication (11). The former includes acquired immunity resulting from viral infection, as well as innate immunity involving many inducible cytokines and chemokines. Genetic factors, such as HLA haplotypes, can influence the host's immune response. Two haplotypes have been associated with rapid disease progression after HIV infection (10), whereas another has been linked to long-term nonprogression (39). A similar protective effect of the rhesus macaque Mamu A*01 genotype has been recently demonstrated (43). The most dramatic genetic influence on HIV transmission and disease progression involves a 32-bp deletion (
32) in the CCR5 gene, the major coreceptor for macrophage-tropic, non-syncytium-inducing HIV isolates. This deletion results in a truncated, nonfunctional gene product and is associated with protection against HIV infection in individuals homozygous for the CCR5
32 allele (20, 30, 49) and with delayed disease progression and decreased CCR5 expression on T cells among heterozygous individuals (13, 45, 59). Additional CCR5 polymorphisms exist but have not been shown to modulate HIV infection (37). Polymorphisms in the CCR5 promoter have been associated with accelerated disease progression (34, 36), but the mechanisms for this are unclear. A minor coreceptor mutation, CCR2-64I, with strong linkage disequilibrium with a CCR5 promoter region mutation (25), was initially associated with delayed disease progression (53), although subsequent studies have yielded conflicting results (33, 37, 38).
Alterations in chemokine or cytokine genes or their promoters can also affect the course of HIV disease. Delayed disease progression has been attributed to a polymorphism in the RANTES promoter (29) and to an SDF-1 gene mutation, although the latter finding is controversial (19, 41, 57, 58). Polymorphisms in the interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter have been linked to AIDS progression (52).
Identification of host factors which contribute to susceptible or resistant phenotypes is difficult in humans. Our observation, summarized below, of unusually strong resistance to SIV infection in a rhesus macaque, presented a unique opportunity for investigating novel host resistance mechanisms. In general, intravaginal infection of rhesus macaques can result in either transient or persistent viremia (40), as well as in occult systemic infection in some cases (35). In earlier preclinical vaccine studies in which rhesus macaques were challenged with infectious, pathogenic SIVmac251, we observed such variable outcomes in both controls and immunized monkeys with regard to infection and disease progression (7, 8). One naive control macaque, 359, resisted two intravaginal exposures with escalating dosages of SIVmac251. Here we report that, after an additional intrarectal challenge with SIVmac32H, macaque 359 became only transiently viremic and cleared virus from the peripheral blood. In vitro studies confirmed that the animal's peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were highly resistant to SIV infection, even though adequate levels of CCR5 were expressed on the surface of the cells. In order to elucidate the basis for the unusually strong resistance of macaque 359 to in vivo and in vitro SIV infection, early events in the viral infection and replication process were examined. We examined several coreceptor genes for mutational changes. Genetic polymorphisms were detected in the CCR5 gene; however, none of the changes led to amino acid substitutions. Investigation of reverse transcription events revealed significant inhibition in the accumulation of early DNA replication intermediates. However, macaque 359 cells were able to fuse with cells expressing a SIVmac251 envelope or a CCR5-tropic HIV envelope as readily as cells from macaques highly susceptible to SIV infection. Taken together, our results indicate that the resistance of macaque 359 to SIV infection is due to postentry inhibition of viral replication and implicate a host cell mechanism in this process.
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The susceptibility of the macaques to infection with SIVmac251 was categorized according to the viral load at set point and/or rate of disease progression as reported in previous publications (1, 4, 7, 8, 44). Low, medium, or high susceptibility was defined as having a viral burden at a set point of <105, >105 to <107, or
107 RNA copies/ml of plasma and/or a disease status of slow progressor, progressor, or rapid progressor, respectively.
Viably frozen PBMCs obtained from seven additional naive macaques (animals 724, 725, 660, 774, 789, 793, and 826) subsequently shown to be susceptible to in vivo SIV infection and three additional naive macaques (numbers E196, G79, and O58) shown to be susceptible to in vitro SIV infection were used for the in vitro infectivity studies.
Viral stocks. For intrarectal challenge of macaque 359, 20 monkey infectious doses of SIVmac32H (12) were administered. In vitro infections were carried out with either SIVmac251 or SIV17E-Br. The primary stock of SIVmac251 was obtained from an infected macaque and grown in rhesus PBMCs. The macrophage-tropic, neurovirulent strain, SIV17E-Br (51), was kindly provided by Janice Clements and was propagated on rhesus macaque macrophages.
Antibody assays. SIV antibody status was assessed on serum samples diluted 1:100 by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (8) and Western blotting (1) as previously described.
Infectivity assays. Macaque PBMCs were isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation. The mononuclear cells were adjusted to 106 cells/ml and stimulated for 48 h with phytohemagglutinin (PHA; Murex Diagnostic, Ltd., Atlanta, Ga.) at a final concentration of 4 µg/ml in growth medium consisting of RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum, 2 mM glutamine, 100 U of penicillin/ml, and 100 µg of streptomycin/ml. The PBMCs were subsequently cultured in growth medium supplemented with human IL-2 (100 U/ml; Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals, Indianapolis, Ind.).
Macaque PBMCs were depleted of CD8+ lymphocytes by using anti-CD8 antibody-coated immunomagnetic beads (Dynal, Lake Success, N.Y.). The remaining CD4+ cells were stimulated for 48 h with PHA as described above.
PHA-stimulated macaque PBMCs or CD8+-depleted CD4+ lymphocytes were seeded into 96-well plates at 105 cells/well. Infections were performed in quadruplicate by using seven 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50)/well of SIVmac251 or four TCID50/well of SIV17E-Br. After a 1-h incubation of cells and virus, 50 µl of growth medium was added and the incubation was continued at 37°C overnight. The next day, the cells were washed three times, suspended in 200 µl of growth medium containing IL-2, and cultured at 37°C. Virus replication was monitored every 3 days by analyzing SIV p27 in culture supernatants by using an antigen capture assay (Coulter, Hialeah, Fla.).
Evaluation of CD8+ T-cell antiviral activity. PBMC samples obtained before and after intrarectal SIVmac251 challenge were assessed for CD8+-T-cell antiviral activity as described previously (27) by using endogenously infected CD4+ T cells from a seropositive rhesus macaque as targets for suppression. The method was modified by stimulating positively selected effector CD8+ cells for 3 days with goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G immunomagnetic beads (Dynal) coated with 2 µg of anti-CD3 (a gift of Michael Rosenzweig, Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.) and 2 µg of anti-CD28 (Immunotech, Westbrook, Maine) per 107 beads. The percent suppression at effector/target cell ratios ranging from 4:1 to 0.25:1 was determined by comparing the amount of p27 produced by target cells alone with the amount produced by effector/target cell cocultures.
CCR5 expression by flow cytometry. To assess the expression of CCR5, PBMCs were stimulated with PHA for 72 h prior to staining. A two-color flow analysis of the cells was performed. Single-cell suspensions at 106 cells/ml were incubated with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled anti-human CD3 (clone SP34) at 4°C for 30 min, followed by two washes. Phycoerythrin-labeled anti-human CCR5 (clone 2D7/CCR5) and anti-rhesus CD4-phycoerythrin (clone M-T477) were added to the cells which were then incubated at 4°C for 30 min, washed twice, and fixed by resuspension in 1% paraformaldehyde. All of the monoclonal antibodies used were obtained from Pharmingen, San Diego, Calif. Background controls included unstained and isotype-specific stained cells. The samples were analyzed by using a FACScan flow cytometer and CellQuest software (Becton Dickinson).
PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis.
Genomic DNA was isolated by using QIAamp DNA kits (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Samples of genomic DNA (25 ng) were amplified by PCR in 50-µl mixtures containing 10 µM concentrations of sense and antisense primers, 10 mM concentrations of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate (including 2.5 µCi of [
-32P]dCTP), and 0.1 U of Taq DNA polymerase (Qiagen)/µl. Amplification was carried out for 30 cycles as follows: 94°C for 30 s, 53°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 1 min. Approximately 5 µl of PCR product was diluted with 45 µl of 0.1% bromophenol blue and 0.05% xylene cyanole. The samples were denatured for 2 min at 95°C and separated on 6% nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels containing 10% glycerol for 8 to 10 h at 30 W of constant power. PCR was performed with the following primers complementary to the Macaca mulatta Bonzo gene (AF007858; 5'-ATGGCAGAGCATGATTACCA-3' and 5'-CTATAACTGGAACATGCTGGTGGCG-3'), the M. mulatta CXCR4 gene (U93311; 5'-ATGGAGGGGATCAGTATATACACTT-3' and 5'-TTAGCTGGAGTGAAAATTTGAAGA-3'), the Macaca nemestrina BOB(GPR15) gene (AF007857; 5'-ATGGACCCAGAAGAAACTTCAGTTT-3' and 5'-TTAGAGTGACACAGACCTCTTCCTC-3'), the M. mulatta CCR3 gene (Y13776; 5'-ATGACAACCTCACTAGATACGGTTG-3' and 5'-CTAAAACACAATAGAGAGTTCCGGC-3'), and the M. mulatta CCR5 gene (U77672): 5'-TGGTGGGCCACTAAATACTTTCTAGGGC-3' (primer 1) and 5'-AGTCCCACTGGGCAGCAGCATAGT-3' (primer 3), 5'-TCTCTGACCTGCTTTTCCTTCTTA-3' (primer 4) and 5'-TGCAGGTGTAATGAAGACCTTCTC-3' (primer 5), 5'-TGGTGGCTGTGTTTGCCTCTCTC-3' (primer 6) and 5'-CCTGGAAGGTGTTCAGGAGAAGGAC-3' (primer 7), and 5'-TATCTTCACCATCATGATTGTTTA-3' (primer 8) and 5'-TCACAAGCCCACAGATATTTCCTG-3' (primer 2). Primers 1 and 2 were used to synthesize the entire CCR5 gene. Primers 1 and 3, primers 4 and 5, primers 6 and 7, and primers 8 and 2 were used as pairs across the CCR5 gene.
DNA sequencing. The entire CCR5 gene was synthesized by using PCR amplification as described above. DNA sequencing was performed by using the ABI Prism DNA sequencing kit (PE Applied Biosystems).
Analysis of early DNA products of SIV reverse transcription. Frozen PBMCs of macaque 359, harvested before any SIV challenge, and of the naive control macaques 724 and 725 were thawed and stimulated for 72 h in growth medium containing PHA (10 µg/ml) and IL-2 (200 U/ml). The cells were depleted of CD8+ lymphocytes by using anti-CD8 antibody-coated Dynabeads and then cultured in growth medium containing 20% fetal bovine serum and 100 U of IL-2/ml. The CD8-depleted PBMCs (4.5 x 106) were infected with 5 x 103 TCID50 of SIVmac251 that had been pretreated with 2 µg of RNase-free DNase (Worthington)/ml for 30 min at room temperature in the presence of 0.01 M MgCl2. To eliminate virus on the surface of cells, after 2 h of incubation at 37°C, the cells were washed three times with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), incubated with 0.25% trypsin-EDTA diluted 1:10 in PBS for 5 min at 37°C, washed with growth medium, and cultured further at 37°C. Cells (5 x 105) were harvested at various time points, including before infection, immediately after virus addition (0 h), immediately after virus washout and trypsin treatment (2 h), and at 6, 12, 24, and 72 h after infection. DNAs for PCR analysis were isolated by using QIAamp DNA blood Mini Kits according to the manufacturer's instructions.
The human ß-actin gene was amplified in order to standardize input DNAs in subsequent PCRs evaluating early DNA products of reverse transcription. The ß-actin primers were 5'-TGACGGGGTCACCCACACTGTGCCCATCTA-3' (sense) and 5'-CTAGAAGCATTTGCGGTGGACGATGGAGGG-3' (antisense).
PCR amplification of minus-strand strong-stop DNA, post-minus-strand transfer DNA, and the 3' end of minus-strand DNA was done for 32 and 40 cycles in 25-µl reaction mixtures containing 5 µM each of sense and antisense primers; 10 mM dTTP, dATP, and dGTP; 8 mM dCTP; 2.5 µCi of [
-32P]dCTP; 1 U of Platinum Taq DNApol (Gibco-BRL, Grand Island, N.Y.); and 2.5 µl of buffer as specified below.
Minus-strand strong-stop DNA was amplified in a reaction mixture including Buffer #6 (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) with the primers 5'-ATTGAGCCCTGGGAGGTTCTC-3' (Forward R) and 5'-TGCTAGGGATTTTCCTGCTCCGG-3' (Reverse U5). The cycling conditions were 94°C for 30 s, 57°C for 40 s, and 72°C for 1 min.
Post-minus-strand transfer DNA product was amplified in a reaction mixture including Taq Plus precision buffer (Stratagene) with the primers 5'-GAGGAAGATGATGACTTGGTAGGGG-3' (Reb1) and 5'-CCAGCCAAATGTCTTTGGGTATCTA-3' (Reb2). The cycling conditions were 94°C for 30 s, 59.3°C for 40 s, and 72°C for 1 min.
The 3' end of the minus-strand DNA product was amplified in a reaction mixture including Buffer #10 (Stratagene) with the primers 5'-CGAACAGGACTTGAAGGAGAGTGA-3' (Reb3) and 5'-CTGACAAGACGGAGTTTCTCGC-3' (Reb4). The cycling conditions were 94°C for 30 s, 51.7°C for 40 s, and 72°C for 1 min.
PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis on 5% nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels and visualized by direct autoradiography of the frozen gels for several hours.
Analysis of viral entry by cell-cell fusion assay. 293 cells were infected overnight at 31°C with the vaccinia virus V194, expressing the SIVmac251 envelope (24), or with vCB28, expressing the HIVJR-FL envelope protein (42) at a multiplicity of infection of 10, and then detached from the flask by using a cell stripper (CellQuest). The infected 293 cells (105) were mixed with an equivalent number of CD8 depleted CD4+ CCR5+ cells from macaque 359 and other macaques known to be susceptible to SIV infection. In all cases the cells were obtained prior to any SIV exposure of the macaques and stored viably frozen. Syncytia containing at least three to four fused cells were counted after 1 and/or 4 h of incubation at 37°C.
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FIG. 1. In vivo resistance of rhesus macaque 359 to mucosal SIV infection and clearance of virus. The first and second vaginal challenges and the failure of macaque 359 to become infected have been previously described in detail (7, 8). The third intrarectal exposure is detailed in Materials and Methods. SIV RNA in plasma was quantitated by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (47). The sensitivity of SIV RNA detection was 50,000 copies/ml during the monitoring after the first and second intravaginal challenges. Repeat assays failed to detect RNA at a level of <300 copy equivalents (54). After the third challenge, the sensitivity of detection was 5,000 copies/ml in a quantitative assay and <500 copies/ml of plasma in a qualitative assay. A negative result is indicated by a dash. Attempts to isolate virus and detect proviral DNA were carried out on PBMCs except for one sample of bone marrow, marked by an asterisk. Macaque 660 was euthanized as a result of AIDS-related complications at 11 weeks postchallenge. Blood and lymph node cells obtained from macaque 359 49 weeks after intrarectal challenge were transfused into naive macaque 828, which was then monitored for 12 weeks for evidence of viral infection.
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FIG. 2. Western blot analysis of representative macaque 359 sera obtained after successive mucosal SIV challenges; the first and second challenges were intravaginal, and the third was intrarectal. NRhS and PRhS, SIV antibody-negative and -positive rhesus macaque sera, respectively. SIV antibody-positive macaque 353 received the first vaginal challenge at the same time as macaque 359.
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Resistance of macaque 359 T cells to in vitro infection. Mucosal transmission of SIV is more complex than intravenous transmission. Lack of or low-level infection by the mucosal route could be due to physical barriers imposed by mucus, failure of the appropriate cell type to be exposed to the infectious virus, or the lack of appropriate primary or secondary receptors. To address these questions, we first assessed the ability of macaque 359 PBMCs obtained prior to the intrarectal SIV challenge to be infected by SIV in vitro. PBMCs of macaque 660, which had been shown to be highly susceptible to SIVmac251 infection in vivo (Fig. 1), and of macaques 724 and 725, which had previously exhibited susceptibility to SIVmac251 infection in vitro, served as controls.
PBMCs of the control macaques were readily infected by SIVmac251, exhibiting peak p27 levels by 10 to 13 days postinfection (Fig. 3A). In contrast, PBMCs of macaque 359 showed very little virus infection. Similarly, macaque 359 PBMCs were able to resist in vitro infection by the macrophage-tropic, neurovirulent strain, SIV17E-Br, while all control PBMCs exhibited high levels of virus replication within the same time period (Fig. 3B).
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FIG. 3. In vitro susceptibility of rhesus macaque PBMCs to SIV infection. The kinetics of replication of SIVmac251 (A) and SIV17E-Br (B) in unfractionated PBMCs and of SIVmac251 (C) and SIV17E-Br (D) in the CD8+-depleted CD4+ T cells of the macaques are plotted as a function of p27 production in culture supernatants.
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To explore this possibility further, macaque 359 positively selected CD8+ T cells obtained 17 weeks before and 6 weeks after the intrarectal challenge were assessed for functional antiviral activity by using chronically SIV-infected CD4 cells as targets. Prior to challenge 0% suppression was observed, and after challenge only 9% suppression was observed. In contrast, although CD8+ T cells obtained at the same time points of the susceptible macaque 660 exhibited no antiviral activity before challenge (3.8% suppression), after challenge their antiviral activity rose, exhibiting 58% suppression. Thus, this innate immune response did not appear to be responsible for the resistance of macaque 359 to SIV infection.
Taken together, the in vitro data suggested that the resistance of macaque 359 in vivo might be due to an inherent resistance of 359 cells to SIV infection rather than to physical barriers or inadequate virus exposure. The ability of SIV to infect target cells is dependent on both the viral strain and the availability and expression levels of the appropriate primary receptor and coreceptors (60). Macaque 359 has consistently exhibited normal CD4 T-cell numbers throughout the 4 years during which she has been monitored. Since macaque 359 PBMCs are also resistant to infection by SIV17E-Br, a CD4 independent isolate, we considered that coreceptor expression or variability, especially of CCR5, the major coreceptor utilized by SIV for infection, might contribute to the resistance of macaque 359 to SIV infection. The cell surface expression of CCR5 was therefore examined.
Analysis of CCR5 on the surface of macaque 359 and 660 T cells. CCR5 expression on PBMCs of macaques 359 and 660 obtained prior to the intrarectal SIVmac251 exposure was assessed by flow cytometry as described in Materials and Methods. As indicated in Table 1, both resistant macaque 359 and susceptible macaque 660 had similar numbers of CD4+ cells and CD4+ cells expressing CCR5. Notably, the density of CCR5 on the surface of CD4+ CCR5+ cells, as estimated by the mean fluorescent intensity, was somewhat higher on the cells of macaque 359 than on those of macaque 660. Although increased CCR5 density has been associated with greater infection (46), the slightly higher level shown here did not lead to better in vitro susceptibility of macaque 359 T cells to SIV. Because CCR5 expression was similar on the CD4 cells of both macaques, we considered the possibility that the CCR5 gene of the resistant macaque 359 was altered.
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TABLE 1. CCR5 expression on CD4 cells of resistant macaque 359 and susceptible macaque 660a
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FIG. 4. Analysis of CCR5, CXCR4, BOB, Bonzo, and CCR3 of resistant macaque 359 and susceptible macaques 570 and 357. The coreceptor coding sequences were amplified by PCR with the primers specified in Materials and Methods. The resultant PCR products were digested with the restriction enzymes PstI (CCR5), BamHI (CXCR4), NdeI (BOB), EcoRV (Bonzo), or KpnI (CCR3); denatured; and analyzed on polyacrylamide gels. The arrow marks the altered banding pattern observed in the CCR5 gene of macaque 359.
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Each of the 78 genomic DNA samples was amplified with four pairs of sense and antisense primers in order to generate DNA products of 290 to 360 bp which, in total, spanned the entire open reading frame of CCR5. Subsequently, the single-stranded DNA mobility of the resulting PCR products was analyzed by electrophoresis on a nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel.
Among the 78 macaque DNA samples, five different mobility patterns were observed, all amplified by primers 8 and 2 at the 3' end of the CCR5 gene. Macaque 359 exhibited a four-band pattern, as did 34.6% of the 78 macaques. Four additional patterns were observed as illustrated in Fig. 5: a condensed four-band pattern (10.3% of macaques) and three two-band patterns with different mobilities, which we have called high two-band (a) and high two-band (b) (38.5% of macaques for a and b together) and a low two-band (16.7% of macaques) (Fig. 5). The distribution of patterns among the 78 macaques within vaccinated or unvaccinated groups showed no correlation with viral load after infection or rate of disease progression (not shown).
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FIG. 5. SSCP analysis of rhesus macaque CCR5. Representative banding patterns observed after analysis of 78 macaque CCR5 genes are illustrated in lanes 1 through 5: high two-band (a), high two-band (b), low two-band, condensed four-band, and four-band. Macaque 359 is represented in lane 5.
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TABLE 2. DNA polymorphisms in the rhesus macaque CCR5 genea
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FIG. 6. PCR analysis of intermediate products of reverse transcription. Times of extraction of genomic DNA are indicated as Bi (before infection) and 0 to 72 h postinfection. (A to C) Intermediate products of SIV replication amplified for 32 or 40 cycles with specific primer pairs. (D) Standardization of input DNA amounts by amplification with ß-actin-specific primers.
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FIG. 7. Analysis of ability of macaque 359 cells to support virus entry using a cell-cell fusion assay. Syncytium formation assays of CD4+ CCR5+ macaque T cells with 293 cells expressing SIVmac251 envelope (A) or HIVJR-FL envelope (B) were carried out in duplicate. The error bars indicate the standard deviation. In panel B, macaque 359 cells were evaluated on two separate occasions, and the results reflect the mean of both assays.
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We therefore investigated postentry events in the viral replication cycle, focusing on early DNA intermediates of reverse transcription. The reverse transcription process is highly complex (55), involving two strand transfer reactions. We focused on transcription of the minus strand, including the initial minus-strand strong-stop DNA, the DNA product made just after the first-strand transfer, and the DNA product at the end of minus-strand synthesis. All three of these steps were significantly inhibited after in vitro infection of macaque 359 CD4 T cells with SIVmac251, indicating an early block in viral replication. The inhibition of early reverse transcription events would occur if viral entry were inhibited, as well as from a postentry mechanism. We therefore revisited the question of viral entry. A cell-cell fusion assay was used since it specifically evaluates entry. Other systems, such as pseudotyped viruses carrying the luciferase gene, involve several stages of the viral life cycle in addition to entry for expression of the marker gene. Here, the cell-cell fusion assays effectively demonstrated that SIV can enter cells of the macaque 359 as efficiently as cells of macaques highly susceptible to SIV infection. Therefore, the inhibition in viral replication is due to a postentry block in the replication cycle.
Since the replication of our SIVmac251 stock proceeded efficiently in the cells of control macaques, our results implicate a host cell mechanism in inhibition of viral replication in macaque 359 cells. Others have previously shown that the susceptibility of the macaque CD4+ T cells to in vitro SIV infection reliably predicts viral replication in vivo (18, 50). Importantly, these earlier studies suggested that the susceptibility phenotype was an intrinsic property of the CD4 T cells themselves rather than a consequence of immune responses acquired after viral infection. The cellular basis for the various susceptibilities was not elucidated, although Goldstein et al. suggested that postentry mechanisms might be involved (18). Here the investigation of a highly resistant macaque which was able to clear its viral infection allowed us to demonstrate that at least one mechanism of innate host resistance is a postentry block in early viral reverse transcription events. It will be critically important to determine the prevalence of this phenomenon in the rhesus macaque population and also to identify the cellular inhibitory mechanism.
A number of cellular host factors that participate in the retroviral replication process have been identified. Several of these interact at the level of integration of proviral DNA. The product of the well-known murine Fv-1 gene, a derivative of an endogenous retroviral gag gene (5), limits the replication of certain murine leukemia virus strains to mice that carry particular Fv-1 alleles (21). Its inhibitory effect is associated with inefficient viral genome integration. Other cellular proteins positively influence the integration of proviral DNA, including the barrier to autointegration factor protein (26); INI1, a homolog to a yeast transcription factor (22); and proteins associated with integration-competent nucleoprotein complexes such as HMG I (2) and HMG I(Y) (15).
Other host proteins that function earlier in the viral replication cycle include components of the cytoskeleton and cyclophilin A. The latter, although not required for SIV replication (6), binds the HIV type 1 capsid protein (31) and is necessary for viral entry or uncoating (17, 56). A comparable cellular protein could fulfill the role of this host protein with chaperone-like activity for the SIV capsid. The early interaction of HIV with the cellular cytoskeleton is also intriguing. Actin microfilaments have been implicated in the formation of reverse transcription complexes necessary for initiating and completing the process of HIV reverse transcription (9). Other unidentified cellular factors in the cytoskeleton compartment may also be important for reverse transcription (9). Recently, a double-stranded RNA-binding protein, NF90, was shown to inhibit early events in HIV reverse transcription in GHOST cells transiently transfected with NF90 or stably expressing the protein (E. Agbottah, A. Spruill, and A. Kumar, unpublished data). Although NF90 is a nuclear protein, this observation suggests another category of cellular proteins that could potentially influence viral replication events.
The postentry block in SIV infection observed in vitro provides an explanation for the significant resistance of macaque 359 seen in vivo as well. The initial intravaginal SIV exposures which did not result in infection nevertheless elicited a low-level cellular immune response (B. Peng et al., unpublished data). Similar observations have been described for highly exposed but persistently seronegative women (23, 48). Although macaque 359 became infected after intrarectal SIV exposure, its low-level immunity, presumably helped by the host resistance mechanism inhibiting SIV replication, was sufficient to control infection and eventually clear the virus, as demonstrated by the transfusion experiment.
Our observation that a host cell mechanism inhibits early SIV replication events, thereby contributing to resistance to SIV infection, has several important implications. At a fundamental level, identification of the mechanism will expand our knowledge and understanding of the biochemical steps involved in reverse transcription. For clinical applications, identification of a natural cellular inhibitor of the reverse transcription process may be able to be exploited in novel therapeutic regimens. Finally, in a practical sense, an enhanced ability to screen rhesus macaques for cellular resistance to infection will greatly improve the macaque model for study of SIV pathogenesis and for vaccine development. It will be important to determine the prevalence of macaques that possess this type of cellular resistance. Subsequent identification of the mechanism in an outbred population will be difficult. However, macaques could be sorted based on the outcomes of mucosal challenges and subsequently assessed for levels of early reverse transcription products in vitro. Ultimately, for purposes of vaccine studies, macaques could be selected for susceptibility to infection, reducing the viral dose necessary to ensure the infection of all control animals and bringing challenge experiments to more realistic levels that are comparable to the natural exposures that occur in the human population.
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