Development of a novel Macaque-Tropic HIV-1 adapted to cynomolgus macaques. (7th October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ode, Hirotaka; Saito, Akatsuki; Washizaki, Ayaka; Seki, Yohei; Yoshida, Takeshi; Harada, Shigeyoshi; Ishii, Hiroshi; Shioda, Tatsuo; Yasutomi, Yasuhiro; Matano, Tetsuro; Miura, Tomoyuki; Akari, Hirofumi; Iwatani, Yasumasa
• Is Part Of: Journal of general virology. Volume 103:Number 10(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-10-07
• Subjects: AIDS -- APOBEC3 -- cynomolgus macaque -- HIV-1 -- vpr -- vif; Virology -- Periodicals; Viruses; Microbiology; Virology; Virologie -- Périodiques; Microbiologie -- Périodiques; Virology; Virologie; Virologie; Electronic journals; Periodical; Periodicals; 579.2
• DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001790
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1317

Abstract

Abstract : Macaque-tropic HIV-1 (HIV-1mt) variants have been developed to establish preferable primate models that are advantageous in understanding HIV-1 infection pathogenesis and in assessing the preclinical efficacy of novel prevention/treatment strategies. We previously reported that a CXCR4-tropic HIV-1mt, MN4Rh-3, efficiently replicates in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of cynomolgus macaques homozygous for TRIMCyp (CMs TC ). However, the CMs TC challenged with MN4Rh-3 displayed low viral loads during the acute infection phase and subsequently exhibited short-term viremia. These virological phenotypes in vivo differed from those observed in most HIV-1-infected people. Therefore, further development of the HIV-1mt variant was needed. In this study, we first reconstructed the MN4Rh-3 clone to produce a CCR5-tropic HIV-1mt, AS38. In addition, serial in vivo passages allowed us to produce a highly adapted AS38-derived virus that exhibits high viral loads (up to approximately 10 6 copies ml −1 ) during the acute infection phase and prolonged periods of persistent viremia (lasting approximately 16 weeks postinfection) upon infection of CMs TC . Whole-genome sequencing of the viral genomes demonstrated that the emergence of a unique 15-nt deletion within the vif gene was associated with in vivo adaptation. The deletion resulted in a significant increase in Vpr protein expression but did not affect Vif-mediated antagonism of antiretroviral APOBEC3s, suggesting that Vpr is important for HIV-1mt adaptation to CMs TC . In summary, we developed a novel CCR5-tropic HIV-1mt that can induce high peak viral loads and long-term viremia and exhibits increased Vpr expression in CMs TC .