Recent studies have identified several coreceptors that are required for fusion and entry of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) into CD4+ cells. One of these receptors, CCR5, serves as a coreceptor for nonsyncytium inducing (NSI), macrophage-tropic strains of HIV-1, while another, fusin or CXCR-4, functions as a coreceptor for T cell line–adapted, syncytiuminducing (SI) strains. Using sequential primary isolates of HIV-1, we examined whether viruses using these coreceptors emerge in vivo and whether changes in coreceptor use are associated with disease progression. We found that isolates of HIV-1 from early in the course of infection predominantly used CCR5 for infection. However, in patients with disease progression, the virus expanded its coreceptor use to include CCR5, CCR3, CCR2b, and CXCR-4. Use of CXCR-4 as a coreceptor was only seen with primary viruses having an SI phenotype and was restricted by the env gene of the virus. The emergence of variants using this coreceptor was associated with a switch from NSI to SI phenotype, loss of sensitivity to chemokines, and decreasing CD4+ T cell counts. These results suggest that HIV-1 evolves during the course of infection to use an expanded range of coreceptors for infection, and that this adaptation is associated with progression to AIDS.

Despite evidence that live, attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) vaccines can elicit potent protection against pathogenic SIV infection, detailed information on the replication kinetics of attenuated SIV in vivo is lacking. In this study, we measured SIV RNA in the plasma of 16 adult rhesus macaques immunized with a live, attenuated strain of SIV (SIVmac239Δnef). To evaluate the relationship between replication of the vaccine virus and the onset of protection, four animals per group were challenged with pathogenic SIVmac251 at either 5, 10, 15, or 25 weeks after immunization. SIVmac239Δnef replicated efficiently in the immunized macaques in the first few weeks after inoculation. SIV RNA was detected in the plasma of all animals by day 7 after inoculation, and peak levels of viremia (105 to 107 RNA copies/ml) occurred by 7 to 12 days. Following challenge, SIVmac251 was detected in all of the four animals challenged at 5 weeks, in two of four challenged at 10 weeks, in none of four challenged at 15 weeks, and one of four challenged at 25 weeks. One animal immunized with SIVmac239Δnef and challenged at 10 weeks had evidence of disease progression in the absence of detectable SIVmac251. Although complete protection was not achieved at 5 weeks, a transient reduction in viremia (approximately 100-fold) occurred in the immunized macaques early after challenge compared to the nonimmunized controls. Two weeks after challenge, SIV RNA was also reduced in the lymph nodes of all immunized macaques compared with control animals. Taken together, these results indicate that host responses capable of reducing the viral load in plasma and lymph nodes were induced as early as 5 weeks after immunization with SIVmac239Δnef, while more potent protection developed between 10 and 15 weeks. In further experiments, we found that resistance to SIVmac251 infection did not correlate with the presence of antibodies to SIV gp130 and p27 antigens and was achieved in the absence of significant neutralizing activity against the primary SIVmac251 challenge stock.

Human interleukin (IL)-5 gene transcription is regulated by several transcription factor binding sites, including CLE 0, GATA, and a region from position -123 to -92 known as response element (RE)-II. By expression cloning, a partial protein was identified that bound to concatamers of RE-II. Recombinant protein derived from this initial complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding the partial protein specifically bound to RE-II-containing oligonucleotides in electromobility shift assays. The complete sequence (3,649 bp) was determined by 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends and comparisons to existing ESTs, and found to be identical to the 3' half of Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1, (WHSC1; also known as Multiple Myeloma SET domain [MMSET]). The full-length protein contains an SET domain and two plant homeodomain-type zinc fingers. Transcription initiation of RE-II binding protein (RE-IIBP) messenger RNA (mRNA) uniquely occurred within the middle of WHSC1 near a region that exhibits complex mRNA splicing. RE-IIBP reactive polyclonal antisera identified proteins in human T-cell nuclear protein extracts of 62 and 66 kD that were consistent with the length of the longest open reading frame in RE-IIBP. In contrast, WHSC1 is predicted to encode a protein of 136 kD. In activated human Jurkat and murine D10.G4.1 T cells, expression of full-length and truncated forms of RE-IIBP repressed RE-II promoter activity of a 5X-RE-II luciferase reporter construct by as much as 75%. In addition, RE-IIBP expressed in activated D10.G4.1 T cells inhibited endogenous murine IL-5 production. The repressor activity of RE-IIBP is consistent with the presence of an SET domain that is found in other proteins that act as gene silencers.

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Despite multiple, high-risk sexual exposures, some individuals remain uninfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). CD4 ؉ lymphocytes from these individuals are less susceptible to infection in vitro with some strains of HIV-1, suggesting that the phenotype of the virus may influence its ability to interact with certain CD4 ؉ cells. In the present study, we examined the susceptibility of CD4 ؉ T lymphocytes and macrophages from two exposed uninfected individuals (EU2 and EU3) to infection with a panel of biologically cloned isolates of HIV-1 having either a non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) or a syncytium-inducing (SI) phenotype. Our results indicate that CD4 ؉ T lymphocytes from EU2 and EU3 are resistant to infection with NSI isolates of HIV-1 but are susceptible to infection with primary SI isolates. In addition, we found that macrophages from EU2 and EU3 are resistant to infection with both NSI and SI isolates. The latter finding was confirmed by using several uncloned NSI and SI isolates obtained from patients during acute HIV-1 infection. In further experiments, env clones encoding glycoproteins characteristic of NSI or SI viruses were used in single-cycle infectivity assays to evaluate infection of CD4 ؉ lymphocytes and macrophages from EU2 and EU3. Consistent with our previous results, we found that macrophages from these individuals are resistant to infection with NSI and SI env-pseudotyped viruses, while CD4 ؉ T lymphocytes are resistant to NSI, but not SI, pseudotyped viruses. Overall, our results demonstrate that CD4 ؉ cells from two exposed uninfected individuals resist infection in vitro with primary, macrophage-tropic, NSI isolates of HIV-1, which is the predominant viral phenotype found following HIV-1 transmission. Furthermore, infection with NSI isolates was blocked in both CD4 ؉ T lymphocytes and macrophages from these individuals, suggesting that there may be a common mechanism for resistance in both cell types.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires, in addition to CD4, coreceptors of the CC or CXC chemokine families for productive infection of T cells and cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Based on the hypothesis that coreceptor expression on alveolar macrophages (AM) may influence HIV-1 infection of AM in the lung, this study analyzes the expression and utilization of HIV-1 coreceptors on AM of healthy individuals. AM were productively infected with five different primary isolates of HIV-1. Levels of surface expression of CCR5, CXCR4, and CD4 were low compared to those of blood monocytes, but CCR3 was not detectable. mRNA for CCR5, CXCR4, CCR2, and CCR3 were all detectable, but to varying degrees and with variability among donors. Expression of CCR5, CXCR4, and CCR2 mRNA was downregulated following stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In contrast, secretion of the chemokines RANTES, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β was upregulated with LPS stimulation. Interestingly, HIV-1 replication was diminished following LPS stimulation. Infection of AM with HIV-1 in the presence of the CC chemokines demonstrated blocking of infection. Together, these studies demonstrate that AM can be infected by a variety of primary HIV-1 isolates, AM express a variety of chemokine receptors, the dominant coreceptor used for HIV entry into AM is CCR5, the expression of these receptors is dependent on the state of activation of AM, and the ability of HIV-1 to infect AM may be modulated by expression of the chemokine receptors and by chemokines per se.

A small number of persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) remain clinically and immunologically healthy for more than a decade after infection. Recent reports suggest that these individuals may be infected with an attenuated strain of HIV-1; however, a common genetic basis for viral attenuation has not been found in all cases. In the present study, we examined the functional properties of the HIV-1 env genes from six long-term survivors. env clones were generated by PCR amplification of proviral env sequences, followed by cloning of the amplified regions into expression vectors. Eight to ten clones from each subject were screened by transient transfection for expression of the envelope precursor glycoprotein, gp160. Those clones expressing gp160 were then cotransfected with an HIV-1 luciferase reporter vector, pNL4-3Env(؊)LUC(؉) and evaluated for their ability to mediate infection of phytohemagglutinin-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells in single-cycle infectivity assays. Clones expressing gp160 were identified for all six long-term survivors, indicating the presence of proviral env genes with intact open reading frames. For two subjects, D and DH, the encoded envelope glycoproteins yielded high levels of luciferase activity when pseudotyped onto HIV-1 virions and tested in single-cycle infectivity assays. In contrast, envelope glycoproteins cloned from four other long-term survivors were poorly processed and failed to mediate infection. Sequencing of the gp120/41 cleavage site and conserved gp41 cysteine residues of these clones did not reveal any obvious mutations to explain the functional defects. The functional activity of env clones from long-term survivors D and DH was comparable to that seen with several primary HIV-1 env genes cloned from individuals with disease progression and AIDS. These results suggest that the long-term survival of subjects D and DH is not associated with overt functional defects in env; however, functional abnormalities in env may contribute to maintaining a long-term asymptomatic state in the other four cases we studied.

Rhesus macaques immunized with simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239Δnef but not protected from SIVmac251 challenge were studied to determine the genetic and biological characteristics of the breakthrough viruses. Assessment of SIV genetic diversity (env V1-V2) revealed a reduction in the number of viral species in the immunized, unprotected macaques, compared to the number in nonimmunized controls. However, no evidence for selection of a specific V1-V2 genotype was observed, and biologically cloned isolates from the animals with breakthrough virus were similar with respect to replication kinetics and coreceptor use in vitro.