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Journal of Virology, August 2000, p. 7538-7547, Vol. 74, No. 16
Laboratoire de Rétrovirologie, Institut
Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal,1 and
Unité de Biologie des
Rétrovirus2 and Unité
d'Histopathologie,3 Institut Pasteur, Paris,
France
Received 13 December 1999/Accepted 30 April 2000
In contrast to pathogenic human immunodeficiency virus and simian
immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections, chronic SIVagm infections in
African green monkeys (AGMs) are characterized by persistently low
peripheral and tissue viral loads that correlate with the lack of
disease observed in these animals. We report here data on the dynamics
of acute SIVagm infection in AGMs that exhibit remarkable similarities
with viral replication patterns observed in peripheral blood during the
first 2 weeks of pathogenic SIVmac infections. Plasma viremia was
evident at day 3 postinfection (p.i.) in AGMs, and rapid viral
replication led by days 7 to 10 to peak viremias characterized by high
levels of antigenemia (1.2 to 5 ng of p27/ml of plasma), peripheral DNA
viral load (104 to 105 DNA
copies/106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC]),
and plasma RNA viral load (2 × 106 to 2 × 108 RNA copies/ml). The lymph node (LN) RNA and DNA viral
load patterns were similar to those in blood, with peaks observed
between day 7 and day 14. These values in LNs (ranging from 3 × 105 to 3 × 106 RNA copies/106
LN cell [LNC] and 103 to 104 DNA
copies/106 LNC) were at no time point higher than those
observed in the blood. Both in LNs and in blood, rapid and significant
decreases were observed in all infected animals after this peak of
viral replication. Within 3 to 4 weeks p.i., antigenemia was no longer detectable and peripheral viral loads decreased to values similar to
those characteristic of the chronic phase of infection (102
to 103 DNA copies/106 PBMC and 2 × 103 to 2 × 105 RNA copies/ml of plasma).
In LNs, viral loads declined to 5 × 101 to
103 DNA copies and 104 to 3 × 105 RNA copies per 106 LNC at day 28 p.i.
and continued to decrease until day 84 p.i. (<10 to 3 × 104 RNA copies/106 LNC). Despite extensive
viremia during primary infection, neither follicular hyperplasia nor
CD8+ cell infiltration into LN germinal centers was
detected. Altogether, these results indicate that the nonpathogenic
outcome of SIVagm infection in its natural host is associated with a
rapidly induced control of viral replication in response to SIVagm
infection, rather than with a poorly replicating virus or a
constitutive host genetic resistance to virus replication.
Studies of nonhuman primate models
for AIDS are extremely useful in addressing the central issues in
lentiviral pathogenesis, in particular the role of host factors early
after viral exposure. Macaques infected by the simian immunodeficiency
virus SIVmac experience a broad range of progression rates (rapid,
normal, or slow progression) as is the case for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals (49). Similar to
the situation in humans (12, 15), continuous viral
replication takes place in lymphoid tissues, such as lymph nodes (LNs),
throughout the course of SIVmac infection (2, 27, 39). As
also seen in humans (30), a strong correlation exists
between the pattern of viral replication and the clinical course of the
infection (10, 21). The level at which viremia stabilizes in
macaques 6 weeks postinfection (p.i.) thus is highly predictive of the outcome of the infection. A low viral load in plasma (<104
RNA copies/ml) at this early time point predicts long-term survival, whereas a viral burden that remains above 105 RNA copies/ml
is strongly correlated with a pathogenic outcome (44, 46,
49). It has also been shown that infection of macaques with
attenuated SIVmac (SIVmac Attenuated SIV infections in macaques, however, have been achieved only
by using molecular clones. In contrast to SIV infections in macaques,
the outcomes of SIV infections in their natural hosts are generally
nonpathogenic. One of the most studied models of natural lentiviral
infection is SIVagm infection of African green monkeys (AGMs). AGMs
show a seroprevalence rate of about 45% in the wild (19, 24, 31,
36). Both naturally infected AGMs and AGMs experimentally
infected with SIVagm isolates remain healthy without any biological or
clinical signs of AIDS (4, 24, 36). It is not known why
infections of AGMs by SIVagm do not result in clinical AIDS.
Previous studies with the AGM model were performed largely during the
chronic phase of infection. It was demonstrated that SIVagm replicates
continuously in chronically infected AGMs, with a rate similar to that
of HIV-1 in humans (32). Despite this continuous
replication, the amount of cell-associated viral DNA in peripheral
blood remains very low (mean 28 copies/106 peripheral blood
mononuclear cells [PBMC]) during the chronic phase of infection
(5) and resembles that in individuals treated with highly
active antiretroviral therapy (45). Furthermore, unlike the
situation during progressive HIV-1 or SIVmac infections, the viral load
observed in the LNs of long-term-infected AGMs is not higher than that
in PBMC (5). This low viral load in LNs is associated with a
lack of trapping of virus particles by follicular dendritic cells
(FDC), as indicated by in situ hybridization studies performed during
the chronic phase of infection (reference 5 and our
unpublished observations). Contrary to nonprogressive infections with
SIVmac Host factors almost certainly play an important role in AGM resistance
to disease progression, because SIVagm infection in another host
(pig-tailed macaques) can lead to high viral loads, follicular
hyperplasia and follicular depletion in LNs, and finally AIDS
(20). As demonstrated in progressive HIV-1 and SIVmac
infections, critical host responses are likely to occur within days
after viral exposure (29). Until now, no precise
immunological or virological data were available concerning the early
phases of infection in AGMs or in any other natural host species of SIV.
Here, we have examined the viral load in peripheral blood and in LNs of
AGMs (Cercopithecus sabaeus) and described histological features of the LNs during the early phases of SIVagm infection to
provide clues helpful for understanding critical events of the initial
lentivirus-host interactions. This study reveals an early and extensive
SIVagm replication in its natural host. Viral replication is, however,
rapidly and efficiently controlled. This control of viral replication
is not associated with LN hyperplasia or CD8+ cell
infiltration in LN GCs. These data provide evidence that host factors
which exert their effects prior to the detection of humoral responses
are able to rapidly curtail SIVagm replication in AGMs.
Virus stocks.
To avoid in vitro culture selection, all
inocula used in this study consisted of either PBMC plus plasma or
plasma alone obtained directly from SIVagm-infected AGMs.
0022-538X/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
High Levels of Viral Replication during Primary
Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIVagm Infection Are Rapidly and Strongly
Controlled in African Green Monkeys


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ABSTRACT
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
![]()
INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
nef) is characterized by a low level of viral replication during all phases of infection (8, 9,
26, 50). Despite this low-replication level,
SIVmac
nef induces a strong and particularly early
follicular hyperplasia in LNs, possibly indicating that attenuated
SIVmac elicits a more rapid immune response than does pathogenic SIVmac
(9).
nef in macaques, no follicular hyperplasia is
observed in long-term SIVagm-infected AGMs. It is, however, not
excluded that an early but transient development of LN germinal centers
(GCs) occurs.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
70°C.
Animals and infections. All AGMs used in this study, including the animals 92018 and 97026, belong to the species C. sabaeus. They were wild born in Senegal, West Africa, and maintained in captivity at the Pasteur Institute facilities in Dakar, Senegal. Their ages were estimated according to physical and morphological criteria (16, 38). Animals with estimated ages between 18 months and 3 years were classified as juveniles, younger monkeys were classified as infants, and older animals were considered adults.
SIV and STLV seronegativity prior to inoculation was demonstrated by Western blotting (Lav blot II Diagnostics Pasteur; Diagnostics Biotechnology). For each intervention, animals were ketamine-HCl anesthetized. Four SIV-negative juvenile AGMs (designated 96001, 96008, 96011, and 96023, comprising two males and two females weighing approximately 2.5 kg each) were inoculated with 300 TCID50 of the cell-associated inoculum (immediately before inoculation, the cells were pooled in order to constitute the PBMC pool at 10 TCID50/106 PBMC as described above; 3 × 107 PBMC of this pool, resuspended in 1 ml of plasma from AGM 92018, corresponding to 300 TCID50 on SupT1 cells, were inoculated into each monkey). Two juvenile monkeys were used as controls: one SIV- and STLV-negative monkey (AGM 96014) received the same amount of PBMC and plasma from an uninfected AGM; the other (AGM 96030) was inoculated with 300 TCID50 of the cell-free inoculum (42.5 µl of plasma from AGM 97026).Specimen collection.
Whole blood was collected from all
monkeys in EDTA-K2 tubes, twice weekly through the first 3 weeks and
then at days 28, 35, 42, 84, and 340. PBMC were isolated by
Ficoll-Hypaque gradient. PBMC and plasma aliquots were stored at
70°C and used to quantify viral load. Excisional axillar and
inguinal LN biopsies were collected during primary infection at days 0, 3, 10, 17, and 28 for AGMs 96001 and 96008; at days 0, 7, 14, and 21 for AGMs 96011 and 96023; and at days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 for the
control animal AGM 96014. Additional LN specimens were collected at 3 months p.i. for AGMs 96001, 96011, and 96023 and at 12 months p.i. for
AGMs 96008 and 96023. Only plasma samples were collected for the
control animal AGM 96030. For each LN specimen, one fragment was fixed
overnight in 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), dehydrated in graded ethanols,
and then embedded in paraffin. A second fragment was cryopreserved by
immersion in OCT compound (Tissue-Tek; Miles), snap frozen in liquid
nitrogen, and stored at
70°C until use for quantification of viral
load in LN cells (LNC) and for immunohistochemical analyses.
Determination of CD4 and CD8 lymphocyte subsets. Lymphocyte subsets from AGMs were analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis (FACScan; Becton Dickinson, Heidelberg, Germany). For staining, 100 µl of cell suspension (5 × 105 PBMC) was mixed with 10 µl of monoclonal antibody (MAb) Leu2a-phycoerythrin (CD8; Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, Calif.) or 10 µl of unconjugated anti-CD4 (Sanofi Recherche, Marnes-La-Coquette, France) and incubated at 4°C for 30 min. After two washing steps with phosphate-buffered saline, 10 µl of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated sheep anti-mouse was added to tubes containing unconjugated anti-CD4 and incubated in the dark at 4°C for 30 min. Following staining, the PBMC were washed and fixed with 1% PFA. An irrelevant anti-mouse immunoglobulin G1 MAb (Lagitre) was used as a negative control. The absolute numbers of cells were calculated from total white blood cell counts and percentages of lymphocytes (gating by scatter).
Histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Five-micrometer sections of PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were used for histological analysis. After deparaffination in xylene, sections were rehydrated and stained with hematoxylin-eosin in order to search for elementary lesions.
Five-micrometer sections of either PFA-fixed paraffin-embedded or cryopreserved OCT-embedded tissues were also analyzed by immunohistochemistry to study the distribution of LNC subpopulations. Immunostaining was performed using the alkaline phosphatase (AP)-anti-AP reaction (11), with fast red TR (Sigma) as chromogen. The reaction was terminated using 0.1 M Tris, and the slides were counterstained with Harris hematoxylin. MAbs directed against human cell surface antigens CD4 (F101.69; Sanofi Recherche), CD8 (Leu-2a; Becton Dickinson), CD20 (pan-B; Dako, Copenhagen, Denmark), CD68 (KiM7; Valbiotech, France), and DRC-1 (Dako), which cross-react with AGM CD4, CD8, B lymphocytes, macrophages, and FDC, respectively, were used.Antigen and antibody detection. Plasma samples were assayed for p27 antigen by using an antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for SIV Gag p27 (Coulter Corporation, Hialeah, Fla.) with standards provided in the kit according to the manufacturer's guidelines. This ELISA kit was initially designed to detect p27 of SIVmac, but it was reported to detect also that of SIVagm (28). In addition, we confirmed its cross-reactivity for SIVagm.sab p27 by testing culture supernatants of cells infected by SIVagm.sab, SIVagm.ver, and SIVagm.tan as well as plasma samples from acutely infected sabaeus and vervet monkeys. Supernatants from noninfected cells and plasma from non-infected AGMs were used as negative controls (data not shown). Antibody responses to SIV were monitored with an HIV-1/HIV-2 ELISA (genelavia mixt; Sanofi-Pasteur) and confirmed by Western blotting (Lav blot II Diagnostics Pasteur).
Quantification of viral DNA copies in PBMC and LNs.
Frozen
LN samples and PBMC pellets were disrupted in a refrigerated mortar
containing lysis buffer. Genomic DNA was extracted using a QIAamp/DNA
tissue kit (Qiagen, Courtaboeuf, France) according to the
manufacturer's guidelines and stored at
20°C. The quality and
concentration of the genomic DNA were determined by both a semiquantitative ethidium staining procedure (43) and
measurements of optical density.
-actin gene was always amplified in parallel to
monitor the quantity and the quality of each DNA extract amplified by
PCR. The dilutions corresponding to 1 and 0.01 ng of genomic DNA were
used for PCR, because the signal of the amplified
-actin fragment is
not saturated at these concentrations. Conditions for this PCR were as
above except that
-actin primers (
1 [5' GTG GGG CGC CCC AGG CAC
CA3'] and
2 [5' CTC CTT AAT GTC ACG CAC GAT TTC3']) were used at
a final concentration of 1 µM.
Quantification of viral RNA copies in plasma and LNs.
RNA
was extracted from plasma using a Qiagen viral RNA extraction kit.
Frozen LNs were disrupted in refrigerated mortars, and RNA was
extracted using a Qiagen RNA/DNA extraction kit. For plasma viral load
quantification, seven 10-fold serial dilutions of RNA were subjected to
limiting-dilution reverse transcription (RT)-PCR in the SIVagm.sab
env gene. For RNAs extracted from LNs, concentrations were
determined by using a spectrophotometric operation system (Gene
QuantII; Pharmacia Biotech) that allows a highly sensitive and precise
measurement in a broad range (from 4 × 100 to 2 × 103 µg of RNA/ml). Five 10-fold serial dilutions of
each LN RNA extract starting from 100 ng were subjected to RT-PCR.
Plasma and LN RNA copy numbers were quantified by using a standard RNA.
The latter standard was obtained by amplification of an env
fragment of SIVagm.sab-1 (22) with the EnvAsab-EnvBsab
primer pair. The env PCR product was then inserted into an
expression vector using a TopoTA cloning kit (Invitrogen, Groningen,
The Netherlands); the plasmid obtained was linearized with
BamHI downstream the env insert, and the
env fragment was transcribed in vitro by the MEGAScript T7
method (Ambion, Austin, Tex.). The 1.2-kb env transcript was
purified on Qiagen RNeasy columns and quantified by the highly
sensitive and specific Gene QuantII spectrophotometric operation
system. To ensure that the transcripts were full length, we verified
the size on a denaturing polyacrylamide gel. Aliquots were stored at
80°C until use. Immediately before use, one aliquot of RNA was
thawed, and serial dilutions from 1012 down to 1 copy were
used as an external standard in each experiment. For all RNAs, a
one-step RT-PCR was first performed with a Superscript one-step RT-PCR
kit (Gibco BRL) followed by a nested PCR in order to increase the
sensitivity of the assay (100 copies of standard RNA). The sensitivity
of the assay was the same whether we added a carrier RNA (1 µg of
rRNA) or not to the target and to the standard RNA. Primers and PCR
conditions were the same as those described for viral DNA quantification.
-actin-specific primers described above; these two dilutions (1 and
0.01 ng of RNA) were used because they avoid saturation of the
-actin PCR signal. To assess the presence of putative RT-PCR
inhibitors in the plasma RNA samples, a known concentration of the
standard RNA was added to plasma collected at day 0 from three AGMs,
followed by the RNA extraction step described above; the three RNA
extracts were then diluted and subjected to RT-PCR, and sensitivities
of these RT-PCR reactions were compared with that obtained with the
standard RNA alone.
To control the sensitivity of the env primers, we also
developed a limiting-dilution RT-PCR assay for the gag gene
of SIVagm.sab. The primers C1S (5'-AAG TAT AAG TTA AGA CAT CTA ITA TGG
GCA-3') and C4S (5'-GCA TTC TGG ATC AAC AGA GAC TGI GTC ATC CA-3') were used for the first PCR; C2S (5'-GTC ACG CAG AAA TIA AAG TGA AA-3') and
C3S (5'-TCC TCA ATC ACT TTT ACC CA-3') were used for nested PCR under
the same conditions as used for quantification in env.
To validate the limiting-dilution PCR assay, randomly selected plasma
and LN RNA samples were also quantified by a real-time PCR assay.
Briefly, total RNA was transcribed using a TaqMan Gold RT-PCR kit and
random hexamers (PE Applied Systems). PCRs were carried out in a
spectrofluorometric thermal cycler (ABI PRISM 7700). cDNA was added to
the universal master mix (Perkin-Elmer), and 10 µM each primer and 10 µM probe were added. The primers (J15S [5'-CTG GGT GTT CTC TGG TAA
G-3'] and 5' J15S [5'-CAA GAC TTT ATT GAG GCA AT-3']) and a TaqMan
probe (J15P [6FAM-CGA ACA CCC AGG CTC AAG CTG G-6TAMRA]), hybridizing
to conserved regions of the SIVagm.sab long terminal repeat (LTR), were
designed by Althea Technologies Inc. (San Diego, Calif.). They allowed
amplification of a 180-bp LTR fragment. A first cycle of denaturation
(95°C, 10 min) was followed by 45 cycles of denaturation (95°C,
10 s), hybridization (50°C, 30 s), and extension (72°C,
30 s). A SIVagm.sab LTR standard RNA was constructed according to
the same protocol as described for the env standard except
that it was generated by in vitro transcription of an LTR fragment
corresponding to a PCR product of plasmid psab-1 (obtained with the LTR
primers LTR2A [5'-AAC TAA GGC AAG ACT TTA TTG AGG-3'] and LTR4S
[5'-ACT GGG CGG TAC TGG GAG TGG CTT-3']) and inserted into the pCR2.1 vector. Known amounts of this SIVagm.sab LTR standard RNA were used to
determine the target copy numbers.
Interassay variations of the DNA and RNA viral load assays. To assess the interassay variability of the limiting-dilution PCR assay for DNA quantification, a single DNA sample was repeatedly tested 10 times (each test was performed on a separate day). The resulting coefficient of variation (CV) was 75%.
To evaluate the interassay variability for RNA quantification by the limiting-dilution RT-PCR assay, six single RNA samples were each submitted to five distinct RT reactions, and each reverse-transcribed RNA was quantified by a distinct PCR performed on a separate day. The mean RNA copy numbers of the six samples ranged from 2.6 × 102 to 4.2 × 105, and the corresponding standard deviations ranged from 1.7 × 102 to 5.3 × 105. The CV ranged from 65 to 194% (mean, 133%). The variation of RNA quantification by the real-time PCR assay was assessed by calculating the mean CV as follows. Thirty-four RNA samples were each submitted to two distinct RT reactions. Each reverse-transcribed RNA was then quantified in duplicate by four distinct PCRs, each performed on a separate day. The average CV corresponded to 71%, a value within the range reported for a commercial RNA load assay (52 to 82%; Roche Molecular Systems) (47).| |
RESULTS |
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In this study we examined early virological and immunological events associated with nonpathogenic SIVagm infection in its natural host. Five AGMs were experimentally infected with wild-type SIVagm and followed during acute and postacute phases of infection.
All animals, inoculated either with cell-associated or cell-free virus,
seroconverted between days 28 and 42 (Fig.
1), as also demonstrated by
immunoblotting and maintained a sustained antibody response (data not
shown). Because the inoculum for four AGMs (96001, 96008, 96011, and
96023) consisted of a pool of PBMC and plasma from a chronically
infected AGM, passively transferred anti-SIVagm antibodies were
detectable at high levels at 3 days p.i. and declined subsequently
(Fig. 1). The animal that did not receive passive antibodies (96030)
showed a similar pattern of infection and seroconversion (Fig. 1; see
also below).
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After 2 years, none of the infected animals showed signs of AIDS-like clinical or biological symptoms. Transient variations in the percentages of CD4+ cells and CD8+ cells were observed (data not shown), but the absolute numbers of these lymphocyte subsets remained within the normal range (700 to 2,300 CD4+ cells/µl and 1,300 to 4,300 CD8+ cells/µl, respectively).
Extensive but transient viremia during the acute phase of SIVagm
infection.
The kinetics of antigenemia during primary infection
are shown in Fig. 2a. By day 7 p.i.,
those animals inoculated with cell-associated virus (96001, 96008, 96011, and 96023) had quantifiable levels of p27 SIV core antigen.
Plasma antigenemia then rose to peak values by day 10, ranging from 1.2 to 5.0 ng/ml. AGM 96030, inoculated with cell-free virus, exhibited
values in a similar range (2.26 ng/ml at day 10 p.i.), while
plasma antigenemia in the mock-infected AGM 96014 remained negative
(Fig. 2a). These results indicate that the peak of antigenemia observed
in infected monkeys is due to early high levels of SIVagm replication
in host cells rather than to virus replication in the allogenic cells
from the inoculum or to stimulation of the host immune system by the
allogenic cells. The extent of this early antigenemia varied up to
fourfold among animals that had received identical inocula. Antigenemia
then declined to undetectable levels that were reached between days 17 and 28 p.i. (Fig. 2a), before the detection of specific
anti-SIVagm antibodies (Fig. 1). We cannot exclude a lower sensitivity
of the p27 core antigen assay for SIVagm.sab with regard to SIVmac. The
antigenemia levels would in this case be underestimated. The amount of
p27 that we detected at the peak was, however, quite high and within
the range of those (0.5 to 7 ng of p27/ml that have been reported in
several studies for macaques infected by pathogenic SIVmac (9, 39,
50). In addition, the p27 levels in AGMs are consistent with
their RNA viral loads in the blood (see below).
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Early control of viral burden in LNs of AGMs.
In HIV and SIV
infections, lymphoid organs are major replication sites for the virus
(2, 12, 15). To evaluate viral replication dynamics in
lymphoid organs of acutely SIVagm-infected AGMs, DNA and RNA viral copy
numbers were determined in sequentially recovered LN biopsies. The
pattern of cell-associated viral DNA in LNs is represented in Fig.
3a. The day of the peak could not be
pinpointed in LNs as precisely as in blood samples, because LN biopsies
were performed less frequently (every 7 days). However, for all
animals, the peak was observed, as before, at approximately day 10 (between days 7 and 14). The viral DNA loads observed in LNs
(103 to 104 DNA copies/106 LNC)
were very similar to those measured in PBMC at the same time (Fig. 2c
and 3a). At days 7 and 10, for example, identical copy numbers were
observed in LNC and PBMC of all animals (103 copies for AGM
96008 at day 7; 104 copies for AGM 96023 at day 7 and for
AGM 96001 and 96008 at day 10). At no time point after infection were
the DNA copy numbers higher in LNs than in blood. This latter finding
correlates with the data reported on the chronic phase of SIVagm
infection (5). Values above 103 or
104 DNA copies/106 LNC cannot be excluded,
however, in particular at day 10 (for AGMs 96011 and 96023) and at day
7 (for AGMS 96001 and 96008) when viral DNA loads peaked in PBMC.
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Lack of morphology and cellular distribution changes in AGM LNs
during primary infection.
Early virus-host interactions in
lymphoid organs, such as LNs, probably play a determinative role in the
outcome of infection. We therefore looked for immunohistochemical
changes in LNs during the acute phase of SIVagm infection. Axillary and
inguinal LNs recovered from infected animals between days 0 and 28 p.i. showed well-conserved morphologies. As was the case for
noninfected AGMs, the GCs were well demarcated, and mantle zones were
intact, with no evidence of either lymphoid depletion or involution
(Fig. 4A and B).
Staining with the DRC-1 MAb demonstrated that the FDC network was normal and largely confined to the follicular zone (Fig.
4B), while staining of B lymphocytes showed the confines of follicular
zones (Fig. 4C and D). In most animals, we observed a mild follicular
hyperplasia (Fig. 4A). Such hyperplasia was, however, observed at every
time point studied, including day 0 (Fig. 4C and D), and in the
negative control AGM 96014 (data not shown), and is probably a
consequence of exposure to other infectious agents in the originally
wild animals.
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DISCUSSION |
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SIV infections in their natural hosts are generally asymptomatic, and their study provide clues concerning the basis of apathogenic lentivirus infection. This report describes for the first time the main features associated with the early stages of nonpathogenic SIV infection in the natural host species using the AGM nonhuman primate model. We demonstrate that primary infection by SIVagm in AGMs is characterized initially by high levels of viral replication by approximately day 10 p.i., both in the blood and in LNs (Fig. 2 and 3). This peak of viral replication is then consistently followed by a rapid and significant decrease of peripheral and tissue viral load. The viral DNA and RNA copy numbers in blood stabilized at the latest by day 35 in all studied AGMs (between days 14 and 35). In the chronic phase of infection (studied between days 35 and 350 p.i.), the blood and LN viral loads were comparable to the previously reported low levels of viral burden in other naturally or experimentally chronically infected AGMs (5, 18).
The profiles of viral replication, as measured by antigenemia or by RNA and DNA viral loads either in blood or in LNs, were very similar to each other despite the variability inherent to the viral load assays. The viral dynamics were also remarkably similar in each animal studied, although the animals were not inbred. In addition, the peak of antigenemia at approximately day 10 was repeatedly observed in five other wild-born AGMs exposed either to lower doses of the same cell-associated virus stock (30 and 100 TCID50) or to another SIVagm wild-type strain (our unpublished data). The overall consistency of the pattern of viral replication in these AGMs indicates that the peak of viral replication around day 10 and the subsequent significant decrease in viral burden are representative of SIVagm primary infections.
Interestingly, the RNA levels in plasma stabilized at 2 × 103 to 2 × 105 copies/ml in the AGMs studied. These values are below or very close to the minimum pathogenic threshold value (>105 RNA copies/ml) previously defined in SIVmac-infected macaques (44, 46). Early control at approximately these levels is also characteristic for HIV-1-infected long-term nonprogressors (1, 7, 30). These similarities between nonpathogenic SIVagm infection and long-term nonprogressive infections in humans may lead to more informative conclusions about the general mechanisms responsible for disease progression in humans.
There are, in theory, at least three main mechanisms that could, either
separately or in combination, be responsible for a lack of disease in
infected AGMs: (i) SIVagm could be attenuated in vivo, similarly to
SIVmac
nef (8, 9, 26); (ii) virus reservoirs
could be distinct in AGMs, and/or (iii) the lack of disease might be
associated with the induction of protective host immune responses. In
each case, both quantitative and qualitative differences in virus-host
interactions must be considered in assessing those factors which are
critical for variations in pathogenesis, potentially complicating the
interpretation of individual results.
The present data indicate that SIVagm is not likely to be attenuated for replication in its natural host, at least in the initial phases of infection. Indeed, the levels of antigenemia and peripheral DNA and RNA viral loads during the first 10 days following SIVagm infection in AGMs (Fig. 2 and 3) are similar to those reported for pathogenic SIVmac infections (9, 21, 39, 44, 46, 49, 50). These findings correlate with the capacity of at least one SIVagm strain to induce both high viral loads and disease in another monkey species, the pig-tailed macaque (20).
In addition, the kinetics of viremia were not significantly different between the four AGMs that were inoculated with a virus derived from a chronically infected AGM and AGM 96030, which was exposed to a virus isolated at day 8 p.i. (Fig. 2). These findings correlate with the constant and rapid replication, albeit at a low level, of SIVagm during the chronic phase of infection (32). They suggest that there is no selection for attenuated virus in individual monkeys at later stages of infection. Like SIVagm, another virus (SIVsm) also replicates actively in its natural host, although to a higher level than SIVagm in AGMs, at least during the chronic phase of infection (40). The capacity for efficient replication of SIVs in their natural hosts might thus be a common feature among naturally occurring SIVs and a consequence of long-term coevolution of the viruses and their hosts (3, 17, 31).
Since SIVagm replicates to high levels early in infection, the existence of a constitutive genetic host restriction of viral replication is not supported by our study. These findings correlate with our previously published data that indicated no correlation between mutations in the CCR5 coding region in AGMs and resistance to SIV infection (33). However, one cannot exclude the existence of either an inducible restriction of viral replication in the AGM host or the presence of an unknown subset of genetically resistant cells whose infection is required for disease.
If a restriction of viral replication is rapidly induced in response to
viral infection, early host immune responses would be likely candidates
for being involved in such an induction. Such a hypothesis would
correlate with the observation that unspecific activation of peripheral
AGM CD4+ cells in vitro induces a phenotypic conversion
from the CD4+ cells to CD4
cells, rendering
the latter resistant to SIVagm infection in vitro (34).
The mechanism or group of mechanisms that most likely determine the level of pathogenesis of SIVagm in AGMs may indeed be related to the complex interactions between the multiple virus parameters and the various immune responses of the host. It seems reasonable to assume that normal or enhanced host immune responses contribute directly to the early control of viral replication. AGMs generally exhibit significantly higher percentages of CD8+ cells than do macaques or humans (6, 34), and it was demonstrated that these cells secrete soluble antiviral factors capable of inhibiting SIVagm replication in vitro (13). Depletion of CD8+ cells during the acute and chronic phases of SIVmac infection in macaques favors viral spreading (23, 42). In HIV-1-infected humans, moreover, the mobilization of a broader cytotoxic T-lymphocyte repertoire during primary infection seems to confer better protection (37). Virus-specific CD4 T helper responses, which are necessary to induce efficient CD8+ cell responses, appear to be associated with the control of viremia in some untreated long-term nonprogressors as well as in acutely HIV-1-infected individuals whose viremia is reduced by highly active antiretroviral therapy when started before seroconversion (41).
However, our data do not indicate a major role for quantitatively strong immune responses in SIVagm-infected AGMs. In fact, primary SIVagm infection was characterized by a lack of follicular hyperplasia (Fig. 4), in contrast to pathogenic and attenuated SIVmac infection in macaques (8). Absence of follicular hyperplasia has also been reported in later stages of SIVagm infection in AGMs (5) and for SIVsm infection in sooty mangabeys, despite significant high levels of viral DNA loads (5 × 103 to 2 × 104 copies/106 LNC) in the latter (40). The lack of any signs of CD8+ cell infiltrations into GCs (Fig. 4) also contrasts with pathogenic SIVmac infections (2, 39). Our data thus support the hypothesis that at least certain kinds of immune activation are less pronounced in SIV infections in their natural hosts than in infections with a pathogenic outcome (25, 48). This hypothesis correlates with our previous findings on the absence of an abnormal rate of peripheral CD4+ lymphocytes from chronically infected AGMs that are undergoing apoptosis, in contrast to pathogenic HIV-1 and SIVmac infections (14). The apparently quantitatively low levels of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses in chronically infected AGMs and sooty mangabeys in their natural hosts (25, 35) also support this hypothesis. The lack of disease progression in SIVagm-infected AGMs may thus be attributed to the development of essentially protective immune responses owing to a lack of abnormal activation and/or of dysfunction of immune cells in response to the infection.
In summary, our study demonstrates that SIVagm is not attenuated for replication in its natural host. Data on the dynamics of viral replication indicate that the constant low level of viral burden during chronic infection in AGMs is the result of a rapid induction of protective host responses rather than to a constitutive genetic restriction of virus replication in the host. Our study is consistent with the existence of a delicate balance between viral replication and host immune responses. Finally, the viral dynamics observed in these experiments are very similar to those found in human long-term survivors, and further studies in AGMs might yield clues about the host responses that are essentially protective and not damaging to the host.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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We thank M. Yaya and X. Pourrut for expert assistance with LN biopsies, M. Ndiaye and M. Touré for assistance with animal care, and P. Versmisse for excellent technical help. We are grateful to B. Hahn for the gift of the SIVagm.sab-1 plasmid and to R. Le Grand, B. Hurtrel, E. Khatissian, and V. Monceaux for providing control plasma samples. We thank Bob Bassin for critical reading of the manuscript.
This work was supported by grants from the French Agency for AIDS Research (ANRS). A.G., M.D.-T., M.C.M.-T., and C.K. were recipients of fellowships from the French Ministère de la Cooperation, the Bresilian Ministério da Educaçao, the French Foundation for Medical Research (Sidaction), and the Daimler Benz Foundation, respectively.
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FOOTNOTES |
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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unité de Biologie des Rétrovirus, Institut Pasteur, 25, rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. Phone: (33) 1 40 68 87 30. Fax: (33) 1 45 68 89 57. E-mail: fbarre{at}pasteur.fr.
Present address: Hospital Universitàrio Clementino Fraga
F°, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Present address: Molecular Virology Laboratory, Statens Serum
Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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