Human Immunodeficiency Virus Model Research Articles

Productive infection of primary cultures of endothelial cells from the cat liver sinusoid with the feline immunodeficiency virus

Given the similarities between the two viruses, the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is becoming an interesting animal model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) studies. To explore the still controversial role of the liver in the development of HIV infection, sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC) were isolated, and primary cultures were infected with the FIV Villefranche IFFA strain. The isolated cells were characterized by their typical fenestrations, the presence of von Willebrand factor (vWf), and their ability to take up acetylated low-density lipoproteins and denatured collagen. Two weeks after infection, significant amounts of FIV p24 antigen were detected by immunofluorescence in both multinucleated giant and single cells and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the culture medium. High amounts of viral particles were observed together with different steps of budding at the plasma membrane or at the membrane of intracytoplasmic vacuoles. The released viral particles were shown to be infectious for a permissive cell line. During the first 3 weeks of infection, the only cytopathic effect of FIV was syncytia formation. No noticeable impairment of the pattern of fenestrations and the modulation of their number by a cytoskeleton-mediated process occurred. The productive infection of SEC may contribute to the progression of the infection. (Hepatology 1996 May;23(5):964-70)

Prevention of SIV infection in macaques by (R)-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine.

The efficacy of pre- and postexposure treatment with the antiviral compound (R)-9-(2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine (PMPA) was tested against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in macaques as a model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). PMPA was administered subcutaneously once daily beginning either 48 hours before, 4 hours after, or 24 hours after virus inoculation. Treatment continued for 4 weeks and the virologic, immunologic, and clinical status of the macaques was monitored for up to 56 weeks. PMPA prevented SIV infection in all macaques without toxicity, whereas all control macaques became infected. These results suggest a potential role for PMPA prophylaxis against early HIV infection in cases of known exposure.

Immune response of rhesus macaques to recombinant simian immunodeficiency virus gp130 does not protect from challenge infection

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques is a model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in humans. Inactivated and modified live whole-virus vaccines have provided limited protective immunity against SIV in rhesus macaques. Because of safety concerns in the use of inactivated and live whole-virus vaccines, we evaluated the protective immunity of vaccinia virus recombinants expressing the surface glycoprotein (gp130) of SIVmac and subunit preparations of gp130 expressed in mammalian cells (CHO). Three groups of animals were immunized with recombinant SIV gp130. The first group received SIV gp130 purified from genetically engineered CHO cells (cSIVgp130), the second group was vaccinated with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing SIVmac gp130 (vSIVgp130), and the third group was first primed with vSIVgp130 and then given a booster immunization with cSIVgp130. Although anti-gp130 binding antibodies were elicited in all three groups, neutralizing antibodies were transient or undetectable. None of the immunized animals resisted intravenous challenge with a low dose of cell-free virus. However, the group primed with vSIVgp130 and then boosted with cSIVgp130 had the lowest antigen load (p27) compared with the other groups. The results of these studies suggest that immunization of humans with HIV type 1 surface glycoprotein may not provide protective immunity against virus infection.

Evaluation of homology modeling of HIV Protease

The model of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) protease which was based on the crystal structure of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) protease has been compared to the recently determined crystal structure of chemically synthesized HIV-1 protease. The overall difference between the model and crystal structure was 1.4 A root mean square (rms) deviation for 86 superimposed C alpha atoms. The position of the flexible flap differs in the model and six residues at the amino terminus were incorrectly placed. With these exceptions, all atoms of the model and crystal structure agree to 2.1 A rms deviation. The conformation of some surface bends in the model agrees less well with the crystal structure. Identical amino acids in RSV and HIV proteases were modeled more reliably than different types of amino acids. The amino acids which form the substrate binding site were modeled most accurately to 1.2 A rms deviation for all atoms compared to the crystal structure. This suggests that functionally significant regions of related proteins can be modeled with high accuracy. The model gave correct predictions for residues making interactions with the substrate, and therefore could be used to design inhibitors. The model based on the RSV protease structure is more similar to the experimental structure than are previous models based on the structures of non-viral aspartic proteases.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) Infection in the Cat as a Model for HIV Infection in Man: FIV-Induced Impairment of Immune Function

To assess the value of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection as a model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in man, we studied the impairment of certain immunological functions following natural or experimental FIV infection. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from symptomatic and asymptomatic cats after naturally or experimentally acquired FIV infection, induced by activation with the mitogens concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, or lipopolysaccharide or by stimulation with human interleukin-2 (IL-2), were significantly lower than the proliferative responses found with PBMC from noninfected control cats. Also IL-2 production levels of mitogen-activated PBMC from naturally infected symptomatic cats were significantly reduced. These data confirm that the pathogenesis of FIV infection in the cat, like HIV infection in man, is characterized by a serious malfunction of the immune system.

Epidemiological and statistical aspects of the AIDS epidemic: introduction

In 1988, a government working party studied estimates of incidence and prevalence of numbers of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases. They investigated a series of epidemiological, statistical and mathematical problems associated with predicting trends in incidences of AIDS. This paper introduces a series of papers that give a fuller and more technical exposition of the appendixes of that working party report. The papers provide a brief background to the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology of the infection and the disease; a deterministic model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in the male homosexual community in England and Wales is introduced. Back-projection methods are studied in two papers, following the distribution of the incubation period of the disease. The concept of minimum size of the epidemic is introduced. Mathematical functions to describe the spread of HIV infection are refined by using past trends in the incidence of AIDS to estimate values for some parameters. Survival times for AIDS patients from the point of diagnosis are considered and evidence for changes in male homosexual sexual behaviour is studied; lag-time from the point of diagnosis to the report of the case is also examined. There is a comparative analysis of the AIDS epidemic in various European countries. The incubation period of HIV in patients with haemophilia A and B infections and the problems associated with making predictions for different at-risk groups or small subgroups based on geographical area are discussed. Reasons for fluctuation between the number of reported cases from month to month are provided.

Once Again, Mice Come to Research's Rescue, This Time as Infection Models in AIDS Studies

IMMUNOLOGISTS HOPE they're the kind of gifts that keep on giving. In late December, teams at two centers reported initial success in using two new mouse models of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. hope the models will bear fruit this year in understanding still-murky aspects of the virus' workings and—perhaps— provide the necessary tools to combat it ( Science 1988;242:1665-1670, 1684-1686). If the models prove as useful as these early studies suggest, they may unblock the logjam of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) immunologic research that arises from both the scarcity of primates and their limitations. Chimpanzees can be infected with HIV, but they do not develop disease. These approaches are useful, says Jay A. Levy, MD, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. They could eliminate the widespread use of primates, adds Levy, but he says he doubts that vaccine work can be completed without using animals

Visna virus as an in vitro model for human immunodeficiency virus and inhibition by ribavirin, phosphonoformate, and 2',3'-dideoxynucleosides

Inhibition of visna virus replication in vitro by several compounds previously reported to inhibit replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was examined. Ribavirin concentrations as high as 1 mM reduced virus production by less than 50% relative to controls. The concentration of phosphonoformate reducing virus replication by 50% was 80 microM. 2',3'-Dideoxynucleosides were potent inhibitors of visna virus replication. The 50% inhibitory concentrations for dideoxyguanosine, dideoxyadenosine, and dideoxycytidine were 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 microM, respectively. In contrast, weak inhibition was produced by 100 microM dideoxythymidine. These results are consistent with the reported susceptibility of HIV replication to inhibition by these compounds in vitro. The interaction of visna virus reverse transcriptase with several inhibitors was also examined. Reverse transcriptase was inhibited by phosphonoformate, ribavirin 5'-triphosphate, ddATP, ddCTP, ddGTP, and ddTTP. The last four compounds inhibited incorporation of homologous 2'-deoxynucleoside 5'-triphosphates into polynucleotides by a competitive mechanism. In view of the biological similarities between visna virus and HIV and the similar in vitro susceptibility of visna virus replication to known inhibitors of HIV, visna virus may provide a good model for studying the inhibition of HIV replication in vitro. Because visna virus is not pathogenic to humans, this model may facilitate the identification of compounds for further investigation into the treatment of HIV-induced disease.