title: Circular viral DNA detection and junction sequence analysis from PBMC of SHIV-infected cynomolgus monkeys with undetectable virus plasma RNA.
abstract: Extrachromosomal forms of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 can be detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) from HIV-infected patients in the absence of detectable viral replication and are thought to be a sign of active but cryptic virus replication. No information, however, are available on whether these forms are also present in animal models for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and on their relation with other methods of detection of virus replication. To this aim, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach was used to detect and analyze unintegrated circular 2-LTR-containing forms in PBMC of simian human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)89.6P infected cynomolgus monkeys with RNA levels ranging between 1.8 x 10(6) and less than 50 copies/ml of plasma. 2-LTR forms were detected in 96.5% of monkeys' samples above 50 copies/ml of plasma, whereas they were present in 75.8% of monkeys' samples below 50 copies/ml of plasma. Persistence of unintegrated viral DNA in monkeys with undetectable plasma RNA could indicate either stability in non-dividing cells or ongoing low levels of viral replication in dividing cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Virology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cara
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Maggiorella
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bona
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sernicola
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baroncelli
authors.forename: Donatella R M
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Pasqualina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fagrouch
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heeney
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Titti
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cafaro
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ensoli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016865:Reassortant Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral