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Focuses on the importance of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of rhesus macaques as a model for the study of HIV infection in humans. Importance in controlling viral replication in infected hosts; Expansion on the utility of the rhesus macaque as a model for vaccine and pathogenesis study; Understanding on the importance of cytotoxic T lymphocytes responses during SIV infection.

CD8+ T lymphocytes (CD8-TL) select viral escape variants in both human immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections. The frequency of CD8-TL viral escape as well as the contribution of escape to overall virus diversifcation has not been assessed. We quantified CD8-TL selection in SIV infections by sequencing viral genomes from 35 SIVmac239-infected animals at the time of euthanasia. Here we show that positive selection for sequences encoding 46 known CD8-TL epitopes is comparable to the positive selection observed for the variable loops of env. We also found that >60% of viral variation outside of the viral envelope occurs within recognized CD8-TL epitopes. Therefore, we conclude that CD8-TL selection is the dominant cause of SIV diversification outside of the envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the major histocompatibility complex class I alleles associated with delayed disease progression in individuals infected with human imunodeficiency virus and in macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus. Influence of the alleles on acute-phase cellular immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several HLA alleles are associated with attenuated human immunodeficiency virus disease progression. We explored the relationship between the expression of particular major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I alleles and viremia in simian immunodeficiency virus SIV[sub mac]239-infected macaques. Of the common MHC class I alleles, animals that expressed Mamu-A[sup *]01 exhibited the best control of viral replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I alleles are associated with the control of human immunodeficiency virus and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication. We have designed sequence-specific primers for detection of the rhesus macaque MHC class I allele Mamu-B*08 by PCR and screened a cohort of SIV- infected macaques for this allele. Analysis of 196 SIVmac239-infected Indian rhesus macaques revealed that Mamu-B*08 was significantly overrepresented in elite controllers; 38% of elite controllers were Mamu-B*08 positive compared to 3% of progressors (P = 0.00001). Mamu-B*08 was also associated with a 7.34-fold decrease in chronic phase viremia (P = 0.002). Mamu-B*08-positive macaques may, therefore, provide a good model to understand the correlates of MHC class I allele-associated immune protection and viral containment in human elite controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]