HIV-1 cellular and tissue replication patterns in infected humanized mice

Sci Rep. 2016 Mar 21:6:23513. doi: 10.1038/srep23513.

Abstract

Humanized mice have emerged as a testing platform for HIV-1 pathobiology by reflecting natural human disease processes. Their use to study HIV-1 biology, virology, immunology, pathogenesis and therapeutic development has served as a robust alternative to more-well developed animal models for HIV/AIDS. A critical component in reflecting such human pathobiology rests in defining the tissue and cellular sites for HIV-1 infection. To this end, we examined the tissue sites for viral infection in bone marrow, blood, spleens, liver, gut, brain, kidney and lungs of human CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell engrafted virus-infected NOD.Cg-Prkdc(scid) Il2rg(tm1Wjl)/SzJ mice. Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry and sorted from species mixtures defined as CD34+ lineage negative progenitor cells, CD14+CD16+ monocyte-macrophages and central, stem cell and effector memory T cells. The cell distribution and viral life cycle were found dependent on the tissue compartment and time of infection. Cell subsets contained HIV-1 total and integrated DNA as well as multi-spliced and unspliced RNA in divergent proportions. The data support the idea that humanized mice can provide a means to examine the multifaceted sites of HIV-1 replication including, but not limited to progenitor cells and monocyte-macrophages previously possible only in macaques and human.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, CD34 / metabolism
  • Bone Marrow / virology
  • Brain / virology
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Dendritic Cells / virology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • HIV Infections / virology*
  • HIV-1 / pathogenicity
  • HIV-1 / physiology*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / virology
  • Humans
  • Kidney / virology
  • Liver / virology
  • Lung / virology
  • Macrophages / virology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • Monocytes / virology
  • Spleen / virology
  • Virus Replication*

Substances

  • Antigens, CD34