High frequency of virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the central nervous system of macaques chronically infected with simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac251.
Infection with human immunodeficiency virus or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) induces virus-specific CD8(+) T cells that traffic to lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues. In this study, we used Gag-specific tetramer staining to investigate the frequency of CD8(+) T cells in peripheral blood and the central nervous system of Mamu-A*01-positive SIV-infected rhesus macaques. Most of these infected macaques were vaccinated prior to SIVmac251 exposure. The frequency of Gag(181-189) CM9 tetramer-positive cells was consistently higher in the cerebrospinal fluid and the brain than in the blood of all animals studied and did not correlate with either plasma viremia or CD4(+)-T-cell level. Little or no infection in the brain was documented for most animals by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification or in situ hybridization. These data suggest that this Gag-specific response may contribute to the containment of viral replication in this locale.
Moniuszko
Marcin
M
Animal Models and Retroviral Vaccines Section, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-5055, USA.
Brown
Charlie
C
Pal
Ranajit
R
Tryniszewska
Elzbieta
E
Tsai
Wen-Po
WP
Hirsch
Vanessa M
VM
Franchini
Genoveffa
G
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D008251:Macaca; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D014779:Virus Replication
D012367:RNA, Viral