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Journal of Virology, November 2007, p. 12040-12048, Vol. 81, No. 21
0022-538X/07/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.00133-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Yan S. Ho,2
Beth A. Fallert,3
Kim Janatpour,2
Todd A. Reinhart,3 and
Ursula Esser2*
Immunology Graduate Program, University of California—Davis, Davis, California 95616,1 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California—Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817,2 Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 152613
Received 19 January 2007/ Accepted 10 August 2007
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Here we utilized a novel adoptive transfer approach in primates (11) to track fluorescein dye-labeled blood monocytes from the peripheral circulation into the CNS in SIV-infected rhesus macaques. We observed brain trafficking of fluorescein-labeled monocytes within a 48-h in vivo migratory period in acute SIV infection, which coincided with the presence of the virus in the CNS. SIV-infected cells and infiltrating monocytes/macrophages colocalized to the choroid plexus stroma and perivascular regions in the cerebrum, supporting the role of monocytes as a "Trojan horse" for virus entry into the brain. Preceding monocyte neuroinvasion, the number of peripheral blood monocytes increased dramatically, and the viral load as well as proinflammatory mediators reached peak levels in plasma. Furthermore, circulating monocytes exhibited a high capacity for CCL2 chemokine secretion and likely contributed to increased CCL2 levels following CNS entry. These combined events are thought to facilitate monocyte CNS trafficking and virus entry into the brain in acute SIV infection.
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Intracellular chemokine staining by flow cytometry.
To examine CCL2 production, previously frozen PBMC from acutely SIV infected (animals 29677, 30019, and 32222) and uninfected control (22967, 34164, and 33583) macaques were defrosted in serum-free RPMI, washed, resuspended at 2 x 106 PBMC/ml of RPMI, and stimulated for 24 h in the presence of 10% rhesus serum and recombinant rhesus gamma interferon (IFN-
) (10 ng/ml) (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN). Monensin was added at a concentration of 2 µM during the last 6 h of stimulation to prevent chemokine secretion. Cells were first stained with an antibody directed against the monocyte surface marker CD14 (fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-human CD14 antibody, clone M5E2) prior to fixation, permeabilization, and subsequent intracellular staining with an antibody directed against CCL2 (phycoerythrin [PE]-conjugated anti-human CCL2 antibody, clone 5D3-F7) (reagents from BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA). Sample data were acquired on a FACSCalibur instrument (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA), and data files were analyzed utilizing FlowJo software (TreeStar, Inc., Ashland OR).
Detection of SIV RNA in CSF and plasma by TaqMan analysis. Viral RNA levels in plasma and CSF were determined by SIV real-time TaqMan PCR analysis based on amplification of a SIV gag gene-containing plasmid with established primer and probe pairs, as previously described (12, 34). Data are presented as viral RNA copies per milliliter of CSF or EDTA plasma.
Relative quantitation of chemokine transcription. CXCL9 transcript levels of brain tissue were assessed using the comparative cycle threshold (CT) method (User Bulletin 2; Applied Biosystems) on a 7900 HTA FAST SDS real-time platform (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) with previously established probes and procedures (11, 12). In brief, a coisolation procedure was used to extract total RNA and genomic DNA from 30-µm-thick paraffin-embedded cerebral tissue sections using the DNeasy tissue kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA). For transcript analysis, total RNA was transcribed into first-strand cDNA using random hexamers. To increase the abundance of the target cDNA, real-time TaqMan PCR primers were used for the multiplex preamplification reaction, following validation of the PCR amplification efficiency of the preamplification reaction (4, 19). A standard curve was generated by plotting the preamplification cycle number against the CT value obtained for CXCL9. From the slope of this standard curve, the CXCL9 amplification efficiency was calculated based on the formula E = 10(1/–s) – 1. Values are reported as the fold difference relative to the lowest expressed transcript in non-SIV-infected control animals.
Absolute quantitation of SIV RNA in tissues. For quantitation of SIV RNA in tissues, cDNA was preamplified and analyzed by SIV TaqMan PCR. The CT values were corrected with the CT values used for preamplification, including the SIV preamplification efficiency as a correction factor, and the resulting CT values were extrapolated onto the SIV RNA standard curve for absolute quantitation (34). To quantify the number of genome equivalents present within each PCR, genomic DNA samples were analyzed for the single-copy interleukin 2 gene by using an amount of sample equal to that used in the SIV TaqMan PCR. From this CT value, the genome equivalent was calculated and the cell number extrapolated before normalization of the SIV RNA content in each sample to 1 x 106 cells.
Detection of virus and proinflammatory mediators by protein ELISA.
SIV p27 protein levels in CSF were determined by a SIV p27 core antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) according to the manufacturer's instructions (Beckman-Coulter, Brea, CA). CSF samples were incubated overnight on precoated plates prior to further processing. CXCL9, gamma interferon (IFN-
), and CCL2 protein levels in plasma and CSF were measured by an anti-human protein ELISA (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN) in triplicate wells, unless otherwise noted.
SIV RNA ISH. In situ hybridization (ISH) for SIV RNA using 35S-UTP-labeled antisense riboprobes (including gag, pol, and env sequences) was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded choroid plexus and cerebral tissue sections (6 µm thick) as previously described (23, 47). Autoradiographic exposure times were extended to 14 days to increase the sensitivity of the assay and reveal all productively infected cells. Tissues were counterstained with Mayer's hematoxylin and mounted in Permount mounting medium (Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA). Parallel analysis of SIV-infected and uninfected lymphoid tissue and sense riboprobe configurations confirmed the specificity of SIV RNA detection in the CNS.
Detection of dye-labeled monocytes/macrophages by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence experiments were conducted as described previously (11, 12). In brief, heat-induced antigen retrieval in citrate buffer was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded 6-µm-thick tissue sections (55). The Dako Envision Doublestain system was used to visualize CFSE dye-labeled macrophages with antibodies directed against the fluorescein epitope of the transfer dye CFSE (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) and the macrophage marker CD68 (clone KP1, Dako, Carpenteria, CA), according to the manufacturer's instructions. 5-Bromo-4-chloro-3-indolylphosphate (BCIP)-nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) and Fast Red were utilized as final substrates (Dako, Carpenteria, CA). A total of five nonadjacent cerebral tissue sections per animal were stained in double-labeling experiments, spanning at least 90 µm for each tissue. Slides were examined under bright-field microscopy, and the number of CD68+ CFSE dye-labeled cells was manually counted. For immunofluorescence experiments, choroid plexus tissue sections were first labeled with a rabbit anti-fluorescein antibody for indirect CFSE detection (11, 12) and with a mouse anti-human CD16 (clone 2H7; Novacastra, Newcastle, United Kingdom) or mouse anti-human CD68 (clone KP1) antibody for staining of macrophages. Tissue sections were subsequently labeled with an Alexa 488-conjugated anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody for CFSE detection and an Alexa 568-conjugated anti-mouse IgG antibody for CD16 and CD68 (IgG antibodies from Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA). Nuclear staining was performed with 4',6'-diamidino-2'-phenylindole, dihydrochloride (DAPI) (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA).
Statistics. Repeated-measures analyses were performed to compare chemokine levels across infection status and tissue types. For flow cytometry experiments and examination of chemokine-producing cells, a Student t test was performed. P values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
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and the chemokine CXCL9 were rapidly induced in plasma in the SIV-infected group. Maximal secretion was reached on day 8 or 11 p.i., with average values ranging from 8 to 23 pg/ml and from 115 to 234 pg/ml for IFN-
and CXCL9, respectively (Fig. 1B).
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FIG. 1. Induction of monocytes, plasma viral load, and chemokines in acute SIV infection. (A) Plasma viral loads in SIV-infected animals (animals 29677, 30019, and 32222) were measured by SIV RNA TaqMan analysis between days 0 and 14 p.i. Virus loads peaked on day 11 p.i. in all three animals (shown here for representative animal 29677). Data are expressed as log10 SIV RNA copies/ml. (B) Absolute peripheral blood monocyte numbers per microliter of blood were determined during the first 2 weeks p.i. (shown here for representative SIV-infected animal 29677). The production of the proinflammatory cytokine IFN- and the chemokine CXCL9 in plasma was measured by a protein ELISA in triplicate wells (blue, monocytes per microliter of blood; red, CXCL9; asterisks indicate the time point of maximal IFN- production and the concentration). (C) Peripheral blood monocytes derived from both animal groups (acutely SIV infected and uninfected macaques) were cultured for 24 h in the presence of rhesus IFN- and serum. Monensin was added during the last 6 h of stimulation prior to fixation, permeabilization, and cell staining. The gating strategy for flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood monocytes is illustrated for representative acutely SIV infected animal 29677. Monocytes were gated based on forward- and side-scatter parameters, excluding smaller lymphocytes and lymphocyte blasts. Monocytes were subsequently gated based on CD14 expression to determine the frequency of CCL2+ monocytes (right panel). (D) Bar graph represents a summary of CCL2 flow cytometry experiments and CCL2+ cell frequencies measured for all animals (in both the SIV-infected and uninfected groups; n = 3 for each group). Frequencies of CCL2+ monocytes are shown for monocytes gated based on size, granularity, and CD14 expression (as shown in panel C). A one-tailed, nonparametric Student t test was used to calculate the P value for differences between animal groups. (open bars, uninfected animals; solid bars; SIV-infected animals).
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. Monensin was added during the last 6 h of activation to prevent chemokine secretion prior to staining and flow cytometry analysis. The gating strategy was based on forward- and side-scatter parameters and CD14 expression for determination of CCL2+ monocyte frequencies on day 14 p.i. (Fig. 1C). Upon stimulation, monocytes derived from SIV-infected animals had on average a >5-fold-higher capacity to produce the proinflammatory chemokine CCL2 than the uninfected group (Fig. 1D). Only 1.9% of CD14+ monocytes in the uninfected animals expressed CCL2, whereas this frequency reached on average 11.1% in SIV infection (P < 0.001) (Fig. 1D). Production of proinflammatory mediators and monocyte chemoattractants in the CNS. To examine if peripheral changes in acute SIV infection were associated with neuroinflammation and could contribute to monocyte as well as T-cell brain recruitment, we defined levels of representative proinflammatory protein and T-cell chemoattractant CXCL9 and of monocyte chemokine CCL2 in the CNS. CXCL9 levels were significantly higher in the CSF of SIV-infected macaques than in that of uninfected macaques (Fig. 2A), ranging from 12 to 21 pg/ml (compared to 0.5 to 1.6 pg/ml in SIV-uninfected macaques), although these levels were lower than those in plasma (Fig. 1B). Furthermore, CXCL9 was readily detected by TaqMan transcript analysis in the cerebra of SIV-infected macaques but was undetectable in the control group (Fig. 2B). CXCL9 induction in the CNS may promote cell activation and neuroinflammation in acute SIV infection.
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FIG. 2. Production of proinflammatory mediators in the CSF and cerebrum in acute SIV infection. (A) Proinflammatory chemokine CXCL9 levels were measured by an anti-human CXCL9 ELISA in the CSF of SIV-infected and uninfected animals at necropsy (day 14 p.i. for the SIV-infected group) in triplicate wells. CXCL9 levels were significantly higher in the CSF of acutely SIV infected animals (solid bars) than in the uninfected group (open bars) (P = 0.01 by unpaired repeated-measures analysis). (B) Relative transcript levels for proinflammatory CXCL9 were determined by RNA TaqMan PCR analysis in cerebral tissue sections of uninfected (animals 30892 and 30893) and acutely SIV infected (animals 29677, 30019, and 32222) macaques following RNA isolation from 30-µm-thick tissue sections and target gene-specific preamplification of cDNA. Transcript levels were normalized based on glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase transcription, and values were calibrated against the lowest expressed target gene in the uninfected group. ND, not determined; neg, negative (undetectable). (C) Monocyte chemoattractant CCL2 protein levels in plasma (shaded bars) and CSF (solid bars) were determined by an anti-human CCL2 ELISA on day 14 p.i. for the SIV-infected group. Values are expressed in picograms per milliliter and represent data from triplicate wells. CCL2 protein levels were significantly higher in CSF than in plasma for acutely SIV infected animals (P < 0.0001 by paired repeated-measures analysis). (D) Monocyte chemoattractant CCL2 protein levels were also measured in the plasma (shaded bars) and CSF (open bars) of uninfected animals by an anti-human CCL2 ELISA at necropsy. No significant differences in CCL2 levels between plasma and CSF were identified for the uninfected animal group (P = 0.66 by paired analysis). *, the CCL2 level in plasma for animal 30892 was measured from a single well only.
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Presence of virus and infiltration of CFSE dye-labeled monocytes in the CNS in acute SIV infection. Based on maximal viral load levels in peripheral blood during the acute infection phase and previous reports of early viral entry into the brain (62), we anticipated that virus would be present in the CNS by day 14 post-SIVmac251 infection. Furthermore, the rise in levels of circulating, activated monocytes, together with high plasma viral load and induction of proinflammatory cytokines in the CNS, was expected to be linked with brain trafficking of activated and SIV-infected monocytes. Because the choroid plexus may represent a critical route for initial monocyte and virus entry into the CNS in HIV infection (9, 43), we first determined the presence of SIV RNA+ cells in this site. SIV RNA+ cells were readily detected by ISH and localized to the choroid plexus stroma (Fig. 3A and B). SIV was also present in the CSF, as determined by a SIV p27 protein ELISA and quantitative SIV RNA TaqMan analysis. SIV p27 levels in the CSF ranged from 93 to 226 pg/ml and SIV RNA copy numbers from 1.6 x 105 to 2.4 x 105 per ml CSF, levels similar to those previously reported in accelerated models of neuro-AIDS (6, 36, 37). The migration of adoptively transferred, CFSE dye-labeled monocytes from peripheral blood into the choroid plexus stroma was examined following a 2-day in vivo migratory period between days 12 and 14 p.i. (11, 12). Infiltration of dye-labeled cells into the choroid plexus stroma was observed in SIV-infected but not uninfected control macaques. In double-immunofluorescence experiments, CFSE dye-labeled cells costained with the monocyte activation marker CD16 (Fig. 3C [with enlarged view on the right]) or the macrophage marker CD68 (data not shown), which identified the infiltrating cells as activated monocytes/macrophages. Smaller CFSE dye-labeled cells, negative for both CD16 and CD68, were also identified; they likely represented infiltrating T lymphocytes (32, 38).
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FIG. 3. Detection of SIV RNA+ cells and infiltrating fluorescein dye-labeled monocytes in the choroid plexus and cerebrum. (A and B) SIV RNA+ cells (arrows) in SIV-infected animals were detected on day 14 p.i. by ISH of choroid plexus tissue sections using 35S-UTP-labeled riboprobes for SIV gag, pol, and env sequences (shown here for representative animals 29677 [A]and 30019 [B]). Tissue sections were counterstained with hematoxylin. (C) Infiltrating CFSE dye-labeled monocytes/macrophages in the choroid plexus were identified by double-immunofluorescence approaches with antibodies directed against CFSE (fluorescein epitope; indirect detection) and CD16. Secondary detection was performed with Alexa 488-conjugated (fluorescein; green) and Alexa 568-conjugated (CD16; red) antibodies, and sections were stained with the nuclear dye DAPI (blue). Enlarged views are shown on the right. A CD16 single-positive cell (enlarged view, panel 1, arrow) was observed along with several examples of CFSE dye-labeled CD16+ double-positive cells (enlarged view, panels 2 to 4, arrows) (shown here for animal 30019; top and center rows, single-color staining with DAPI; bottom row, triple-color overlay). (D and E) SIV RNA+ cells were identified in cerebral tissue sections by ISH utilizing methods identical to those for SIV detection in the choroid plexus (A and B). SIV RNA+ cells were observed near vessels in the gray matter of the cerebral cortex in representative SIV-infected animals 32222 (D) and 29677 (E). (F and G) Infiltrating CFSE dye-labeled monocytes/macrophages were identified in cerebral tissue sections from acutely SIV infected animals using double immunohistochemistry, shown here for representative SIV-infected animals 32222 (F) and 29677 (G). CFSE dye-labeled cells (dark purple) were visualized using BCIP-NBT substrate, and CD68 (red) was visualized with Fast Red substrate. To enhance the visibility of both substrates in double-positive cells, no counterstain was used on cerebral tissue sections. Arrowheads, CD68 single-positive cells; arrows, double-positive (CFSE dye-labeled, CD68+) cells.
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Monocytes and other leukocytes are thought to traffic into the CNS via two major routes: through the tight junctions of the BBB or across the choroid plexus epithelium at the blood-CSF barrier (57). In this study, both CFSE dye-labeled monocytes/macrophages and SIV RNA+ cells were identified in the choroid plexus stroma in acute infection. CFSE dye-labeled cells had entered into the choroid plexus stroma and crossed the fenestrated microvascular endothelium, which is more permeable to extravasating cells than the tight junctions of the blood-CSF barrier (46). However, this finding may be important, because the choroid plexus is considered a critical route for initial CNS invasion by activated or infected monocytes in HIV infection, both temporally and spatially (9, 43). Rare CFSE dye-labeled macrophages were also identified in the perivascular space of the cerebrum in acutely SIV infected animals, indicating that cells had migrated across the BBB. Cells crossed the tight junctions at the vessel epithelium and basal lamina and exclusively localized to the perivascular space. In this study, SIV-infected cells and infiltrating monocytes colocalized to the perivascular regions in the cerebral cortex, further supporting the proposed role of monocytes in virus import into the CNS (25, 51, 60, 62).
Prior to monocyte neuroinvasion, changes occurred in the peripheral blood of acutely SIV infected animals that may have contributed to monocyte and virus entry into the CNS. Absolute peripheral blood monocyte numbers increased rapidly between days 4 and 8 p.i. A rise in the relative frequency of monocytes in cynomolgus monkeys (39) and in absolute numbers of monocytes in pig-tailed macaques had been reported in acute SIV infection (29, 58). Elevated numbers of monocytes likely reflected enhanced emigration from bone marrow during acute viral infection, a process similarly observed in mice upon bacterial infection during the innate immune response to Listeria (54). In HIV-infected patients, defining changes in the monocyte pool early during infection is not readily feasible, although a greater role for bone marrow hematopoiesis and increased monocyte output with a possible effect on monocyte CNS trafficking has been proposed for humans as well (26, 27, 45).
In addition to monocyte expansion, peripheral immune activation is thought to play a prominent role in promoting CNS invasion in HIV infection (25, 27). Peripheral blood monocytes from acutely SIV infected animals exhibited a significantly higher capacity to produce CCL2 than uninfected controls, suggesting differences in the functionality of circulating monocytes in acute SIV infection. This is in agreement with a previous observation that CCL2 levels were considerably higher, on average >10- to 15-fold, in the supernatants of cultured CD16+ monocytes from HIV-positive patients with AIDS than in those derived from non-HIV-infected individuals (1), although CD16+ monocytes were thought to constitutively produce CCL2 based on a comparison with CD16-negative monocytes (1). Our data are also consistent with CCL2 secretion by cultured macrophages upon viral infection and activation in vitro (24, 28).
The intracellular CCL2 chemokine production upon stimulation and high CCL2 levels in CSF in SIV infection suggest that monocyte movement into tissues and further differentiation/activation maybe required for CCL2 production in vivo. This may occur at the BBB through interaction with CX3CL1 on endothelial cells (2), consistent with the observed CX3CL1 expression at the BBB in SIV infection (18) or following movement into brain tissue and exposure to inflammatory stimuli (15, 48, 52). CNS-infiltrating monocytes likely secrete CCL2 and contribute to a proinflammatory environment, which enhances monocyte recruitment in an autocrine fashion upon establishment of a CCL2 chemokine gradient across the blood-CSF barrier and BBB in acute SIV infection (24, 36, 62, 63). In addition, resident CNS cells, including astrocytes, microglia, and endothelial cells, secrete proinflammatory mediators and likely contributed to the observed chemokine induction (2, 3, 14, 50, 52, 59).
Here we unambiguously demonstrate monocyte migration from the peripheral cell pool into the CNS within a 48-h in vivo migratory period in acute SIV infection, thereby providing insight regarding kinetic measures of cell migration into the brain. Furthermore, only limited knowledge is available regarding the extent of normal or homeostatic cell trafficking to the noninflamed CNS, the permeability of the BBB, and the accessibility of the choroid plexus in healthy primates. This study provides new avenues to explore such questions and to further dissect the role of monocytes in neuroinflammation and viral neuroinvasion in the nonhuman primate model for AIDS.
This work was supported in part by grants from the UC Davis Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (to C.C.C. and U.E.), the Universitywide AIDS Research Program of the State of California (ID01-D-130 to U.E. and D05-D-406 to C.C.C.), NIH grant R21MH074383 (to U.E.), NIH grant F31NS055654 (to C.C.C.), and the NIH T32 Infectious Disease training program (T32AI060555). This project also used in part resources allocated to the California National Primate Research Center (NIH grant RR00169).
Published ahead of print on 22 August 2007. ![]()
Present address: Division of Infectious Diseases, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, 04044010 Sao Paulo, Brazil. ![]()
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