Lack of T cell dysfunction and programmed cell death in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected chimpanzees correlates with absence of monocytotropic variants.
In asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in humans, disturbed T cell functions such as anergy and programmed cell death, thought to result from inappropriate signaling by antigen-presenting cells due to HIV infection, precede increase in virus load, decline in CD4+ T cell numbers, and subsequent disease progression. Here, in 3 long-term HIV-1-infected asymptomatic chimpanzees, antigen-presenting cell function was intact and T cells had normal proliferative capacity with no evidence of HIV-1-associated programmed cell death. Polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated low frequencies of cells harboring proviral DNA. Primary virus isolation from the infected animals demonstrated the absence of monocytotropic HIV-1 variants, in concordance with complete insusceptibility of chimpanzee monocytes for HIV-1 infection. Possibly, because of the incapacity of HIV-1 to infect monocytes, systemic immune dysfunction will not occur, contributing to controlled viral replication and maintenance of the asymptomatic state in HIV-infected chimpanzees.
Schuitemaker
H
H
Department of Clinical Viro-Immunology, Central Laboratory of The Netherlands Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Amsterdam.
Meyaard
L
L
Kootstra
N A
NA
Dubbes
R
R
Otto
S A
SA
Tersmette
M
M
Heeney
J L
JL
Miedema
F
F
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology
D015704:CD4 Antigens