Recently, encouraging AIDS vaccine trials in macaques have implicated cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the control of the simian human immunodeficiency virus SHIV89.6P that induces acute CD4+ T cell depletion. However, none of these vaccine regimens have been successful in the containment of replication of the pathogenic simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) that induce chronic disease progression. Indeed, it has remained unclear if vaccine-induced CTL can control SIV replication. Here, we show evidence suggesting that vaccine-induced CTLs control SIVmac239 replication in rhesus macaques. Eight macaques vaccinated with DNA-prime/Gag-expressing Sendai virus vector boost were challenged intravenously with SIVmac239. Five of the vaccinees controlled viral replication and had undetectable plasma viremia after 5 wk of infection. CTLs from all of these five macaques rapidly selected for escape mutations in Gag, indicating that vaccine-induced CTLs successfully contained replication of the challenge virus. Interestingly, analysis of the escape variant selected in three vaccinees that share a major histocompatibility complex class I haplotype revealed that the escape variant virus was at a replicative disadvantage compared with SIVmac239. These findings suggested that the vaccine-induced CTLs had “crippled” the challenge virus. Our results indicate that vaccine induction of highly effective CTLs can result in the containment of replication of a highly pathogenic immunodeficiency virus.

Autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, result from a dysregulation of the immune response culminating in hyperactivation of effector cells leading to immune-mediated injury. To maintain an appropriate immune response and prevent the emergence of autoimmune disease, activation signals must be regulated by inhibitory pathways. Biochemical and genetic studies indicate that the type IIB low-affinity receptor for immunoglobulin (Ig)G (FcγRIIB) inhibits cellular activation triggered through antibody or immune complexes and may be an important component in preventing the emergence of autoimmunity. To investigate the role of FcγRIIB in the development of type II collagen (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA), a model for rheumatoid arthritis in humans, we have examined its contribution in determining the susceptibility to CIA in the nonpermissive H-2b haplotype. H-2b mice immunized with bovine CII do not develop appreciable disease. In contrast, immunization of the FcγRIIB-deficient, H-2b mice with bovine CII induced CIA at an incidence of 42.2%. The maximal arthritis index of the FcγRIIB-deficient mice developing CIA (6.9 ± 3.6) was comparable to that of DBA/1 mice (8.6 ± 1.9), an H-2q strain susceptible for CIA induction. IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b antibody responses against CII were elevated in the FcγRIIB-deficient animals, especially in those mice showing arthritis, but less pronounced than DBA/1 mice. Histological examinations of the arthritic paws from FcγRIIB-deficient mice revealed that cartilage was destroyed and bone was focally eroded in association with marked lymphocyte and monocyte/macrophage infiltration, very similar to the pathologic findings observed in DBA/1 mice. These results indicate that a nonpermissive H-2b haplotype can be rendered permissive to CIA induction through deletion of FcγRIIB, suggesting that FcγRIIB plays a critical role in suppressing the induction of CIA.