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¶
From the Divisions of Microbiology and Immunology, * Research Resources,
and Neuroscience,
Yerkes National Primate Research Center; and the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology,
and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, ¶ Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| Abstract |
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The central nervous system (CNS) is an important anatomical reservoir for HIV.19,20 Primate lentiviruses invade the CNS within the first days of infection,21-23 and studies using simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaques have shown that a proviral reservoir is established in the parenchyma of the brain during acute infection and maintained throughout the disease course, despite postacute suppression of active virus replication in the brain.24,25 In addition to inciting the cascade of pathogenic processes that culminate in neurological impairment, virus sequestered in brain tissue could pose a serious challenge to the therapeutic eradication of HIV from infected individuals, because many anti-retroviral agents exhibit poor penetration across the blood-brain barrier and therapeutic levels of these drugs are often not achieved in the extracellular space of the brain.19,20,26 A better understanding of the kinetics of target cell turnover in the CNS and identification of latently infected resident cell populations in the brain would expedite the development of treatment strategies to prevent the neurological consequences of HIV infection.
Infection of macaques with SIV is a useful animal model for investigating the neuropathogenesis of primate lentiviral infections.27-29 However, the incidence of SIVE in macaques infected with conventional isolates and clones of SIV is low, ranging from 18 to 32%,30,31 which has limited the utility of this model for studying the effect of anti-retroviral agents on CNS virus burden. We have isolated a macrophage tropic SIV (SIVsmmFGb) from a sooty mangabey monkey that is consistently and profoundly neurovirulent in pig-tailed macaques.32 Here, we describe the anatomical distribution of productively infected cells within the brain parenchyma of 17 pig-tailed macaques infected with the PGm isolate of SIVsmmFGb, and correlate CNS virus burden with plasma viral load and systemic antibody titers during infection. Neurovirulent infection was observed in 15 of 17 macaques, with lesions typical of lentiviral encephalitis. The SIV-binding antibody titer was predictive of brain virus burden and rate of disease progression by 1 month after inoculation, providing a strategy for identifying macaques likely to develop SIVE.
| Materials and Methods |
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This retrospective study used tissues collected from 17 pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina). This cohort included all animals infected intravenously with the PGm/mln isolate of SIVsmmFGb and euthanized because of the development of simian acquired immune deficiency syndrome (SAIDS) without receiving anti-retroviral therapy. All macaques were SIV-, STLV-, and SRV-negative before inoculation and housed at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, in accordance with Animal Welfare Act guidelines. The PGm/mln isolate was obtained from the mesenteric lymph node of a pig-tailed macaque (PGm) that developed SIVE and SAIDS 4 months after a transfusion with whole blood from a SIV-positive sooty mangabey monkey (FGb), as previously described.32 Virus was isolated by co-culture of lymph node cells with PHA-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Cell-free virus stocks were prepared by collecting expanded culture supernatants at peak reverse transcriptase activity and centrifuging to clarify cell debris. The infectious titer of the inoculum, 2.5 x 103 TCID50/ml, was determined by limiting dilution in CEM x 174 cells. Macaques were inoculated with infectious doses of virus ranging from 10 through 10,000 TCID50.
Necropsy, Tissue Collection, and Histopathological Evaluation
All animals were euthanized because of the development of SAIDS or severe SIV-related diseases. Complete necropsies were performed, collecting and fixing tissues in 10% neutral buffered formalin before routine processing and embedding in paraffin. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained sections of all major organ systems were examined for histopathological lesions. Brain sections from each of the SIVsmmFGb-infected macaques were evaluated independently by two pathologists (DCA, SPO) and scored for the presence of multinucleated giant cells, microglial nodules, and perivascular cuffs of inflammatory cells. Twelve regions of the brain were examined: midfrontal cerebral cortex (gray and white matter), cerebellum (gray and white matter), caudate nucleus, putamen, thalamus, hippocampus, midbrain, medulla, meninges, and choroid plexus.
Lymphocyte Subset Analysis
Specimens of whole blood containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anti-coagulant were obtained from each macaque before inoculation and at necropsy and a complete blood count with differential and lymphocyte phenotype analysis was performed. Percentages of CD3+/CD4+ and CD3+/CD8+ T lymphocytes were measured using two- and three-color flow cytometry and gating on the lymphocyte population. The fluorochrome-conjugated monoclonal antibodies used recognize the CD3 (clone SP34; BD Pharmingen, San Diego, CA), CD4, and CD8 (clones SK3 and SK1, respectively; BD Immunocytometry Systems, San Jose, CA) T lymphocyte surface antigens. Isotype-matched irrelevant antibodies were used as controls.
Anti-SIV Serology
SIV-binding antibody responses were measured in plasma specimens collected from each animal at 1 and 2 months after inoculation and at necropsy. The relative magnitude of the humoral response was determined using a commercial enzyme immunoassay (HIV-2 EIA; Genetic Systems, Redmond, WA). Anti-SIV reactivity was measured in twofold serial dilutions of plasma, beginning with a 1:400 dilution and titrating specimens to endpoint.
Plasma Virus Load
Virion-associated RNA was measured in plasma specimens from each animal at 1 and 2 months after inoculation and at necropsy, using the branched chain DNA signal amplification (bDNA) assay, as previously described.33 All bDNA assays were performed by the Bayer Reference Testing Laboratory, in Emeryville, CA.
In Situ Hybridization
Productively infected cells were localized in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of brain by in situ hybridization for SIV RNA, using methods described in detail elsewhere.32 Tissue sections were deparaffinized in xylene and rehydrated in graded ethanol to diethyl pyrocarbonate (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO)-treated water. Endogenous alkaline-phosphatase activity was blocked in 5 mmol/L levamisole (Sigma). Tissue sections were hydrolyzed in 0.2 N HCl (Sigma), digested with proteinase K (Roche Diagnostics Corp., Indianapolis, IN), acetylated in acetic anhydride (Sigma), and hybridized overnight at 50°C with a digoxigenin-labeled anti-sense riboprobe that spans the entire genome of the SIVsmmPGm5.3 molecular clone of SIVsmmFGb (Lofstrand Laboratories, Gaithersburg, MD). After hybridization, sections were washed extensively and bound probe was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), using alkaline phosphatase-conjugated sheep anti-digoxigenin F(ab) fragments (Roche) and the chromogen nitro blue tetrazolium/5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-phosphate (NBT/BCIP, Roche). Slides were then washed in 10 mmol/L Tris-HCl containing 10 mmol/L EDTA, and counterstained with nuclear fast red (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA). Sections of brain from a pig-tailed macaque with SIVsmmFGb encephalitis served as both positive control (hybridized with SIV anti-sense probe) and negative control (reacted with SIV sense probe). Additional negative controls included sections of brain from uninfected macaques reacted with SIV anti-sense probe.
IHC
Macrophages were localized in the white matter tracts of the midfrontal cortex by IHC, using anti-CD68 monoclonal antibody KP1 (DAKO Corp., Carpinteria, CA) and a commercial kit (LSAB plus, DAKO Corp.). Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of midfrontal cerebral cortex from the 17 SIV-infected animals and anatomically matched sections from three uninfected controls were deparaffinized in xylene, and rehydrated through graded ethanol to distilled water (dH2O). Antigen retrieval was accomplished by heating sections at 95°C for 20 minutes in citrate buffer (DAKO Corp.), and endogenous peroxidase activity was blocked by incubation in 3% H2O2 in dH2O. Sections were first incubated for 45 minutes at room temperature with KP1 antibody, and then reacted sequentially with biotinylated secondary antibody and horseradish peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin. Antigen-antibody complex formation was localized by development in the chromogenic substrate 3, 3'-diaminobenzidine (DAB, DAKO Corp.). Tissue sections were counterstained in Gills hematoxylin (Sigma), cleared, and coverslipped with permanent mounting medium (Cytoseal XYL; Richard-Allan Scientific, Kalamazoo, MI).
Computer Image Quantitation
SIV-infected cells and macrophages were enumerated in sections of brain from each SIV-infected macaque by computer image analysis as described elsewhere.34 Images of tissue sections were captured without manipulation using a Dage DC 330 3-CCD color video camera (Dage-MTI Inc., Michigan City, IN) mounted on a Zeiss Axioskop II microscope (Carl Zeiss Inc., Oberkochen, Germany) and analyzed using NIH Scion Image 1.62C software.
Quantitation of Tissue Virus Burden
The relative cell-associated virus load was measured in the meninges, choroid plexus, and five regions of brain parenchyma (midfrontal cortical gray and white matter, caudate nucleus, putamen, and hippocampus) from each infected macaque. For each anatomical compartment, virus burden was measured by computer image analysis, counting the number of chromogen-positive cells per unit area (mm2) on tissue sections subjected to a carefully controlled in situ hybridization assay for SIV RNA. Particle size and threshold parameters were established on control sections of brain from infected and uninfected macaques that had been incubated with SIVsmmFGb anti-sense probe and processed in parallel with experimental sections. The mean virus burden for each anatomical compartment of brain (regional mean) was determined for each SIV-infected macaque by dividing the number of chromogen-positive cells in 10 contiguous fields at x100 magnification by the total area analyzed (reported as SIV-infected cells per mm2). Global CNS means were calculated for each macaque as the average of the five parenchymal regional means.
Quantitation of Macrophage Population Density
The relative population density of macrophages was determined in midfrontal cortical white matter by computer image analysis. Threshold and particle gating were established using SIV-infected and uninfected control sections of brain, as described above. The number of chromogen-positive cells per mm2 was measured at x200 magnification from 10 contiguous fields of brain parenchyma for each of the 17 SIV-infected macaques and 3 uninfected controls, and the mean and SD were calculated.
Determination of the Phenotype of Infected Cells
A dual in situ hybridization/IHC assay (in situ hybridization for SIV RNA, IHC for cell phenotype) was used to identify the phenotype of productively infected cells in the CNS. In situ hybridization was performed as described above, using NBT/BCIP as the chromogen. After chromogen development and washing, sections were blocked in 10% normal goat serum and the primary antibody was applied for 1 hour at room temperature. The antibodies and antisera used included HAM-56 (DAKO) to label macrophages, rabbit anti-human CD3 (DAKO) to label T lymphocytes, rabbit anti-cow GFAP (DAKO) to label astrocytes, rabbit anti-human vonWillebrand factor (DAKO) to label endothelial cells, and anti-NF200 (Sigma) to label neurons. After washing, sections were incubated in appropriate secondary antibodies conjugated to 5 nm gold particles (Accurate Chemical and Scientific Corp., Westbury, NY). Gold particles were complexed with silver to enhance resolution (Silver Enhancing kit; ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Costa Mesa, CA). Counterstaining was omitted to facilitate visualization of the end products.
Statistical Analysis
The Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare data sets between rapid (n = 12) and slow (n = 5) progressor macaques. The statistical significance of differences between baseline and necropsy CD4 and CD8 counts within progression groups was determined by the paired t-test, and the relationships between survival time and baseline parameters and between numbers of CD68+ cells and viral load in the brain were examined by simple least-squares linear regression. Significant differences were assumed for probability values of P
0.05. Unless otherwise specified, group data are reported as median values ± semi-interquartile range.
| Results |
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The study cohort was composed of 13 male and 4 female macaques that ranged from 19 to 107 months of age (median, 38.0 months), and from 2.5 to 11.8 kg (median, 4.9 kg) at inoculation (Table 1)
. All infected macaques developed SAIDS; survival times ranged from 11 through 161 weeks after inoculation, with a median survival of 20.0 weeks after inoculation. There was no correlation between survival time and any of the baseline parameters, including virus dose, age, sex, or weight of macaques, the number or percentage of CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocytes, or the CD4:CD8 ratio.
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Necropsy Findings
All macaques experienced marked, progressive decreases in numbers and percentages of CD4+ T cells during the course of infection. Median values for number and percent CD4+ T cells for all macaques at necropsy were 230 cells/µl and 20.0%, respectively, as compared with baseline values of 1176 cells/µl and 31.0% (P < 0.002). Both RP and SP groups showed statistically significant decreases (P < 0.015) from baseline for percent and absolute CD4+ T cells (Figure 1, A and B)
. RP had significantly lower numbers (Figure 1D)
and percentages (Figure 1C)
of CD8+ T cells at necropsy (median, 519 cells/µl; 46.5%) than SP (median, 1240 cells/µl; 67.0%; P < 0.05).
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Neuropathological Lesions
Neuropathological lesions reminiscent of those described previously for both HIVE and SIVE27,35-37
were observed in all 12 RP macaques and in 3 of 5 SP macaques (Table 2)
. Lesions in the brain parenchyma included perivascular accumulations of macrophages, multinucleated giant cells, and lymphocytes (Figure 3A)
, parenchymal giant cells (Figure 3B)
, microglial nodules (Figure 3C)
, parenchymal granulomas (Figure 3D)
, and vacuolation of the white matter tracts of the cerebrum and cerebellum.
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The anatomical distribution of neuropathological lesions was mapped by scoring 12 morphological compartments of the brain for the presence of multinucleated giant cells, microglial nodules, and perivascular cuffs of inflammatory cells (summarized in Table 3
; complete results available in Supplemental Table 1 at http://ajp.amjpathol.org). Lesions were diffusely distributed throughout the brains of RP macaques, occurring in 134 of the 143 anatomical compartments evaluated (93.7%). Among RP, lesions were most frequent in the meninges (23 of 24; 95.8%), followed by midbrain (34 of 36; 94.4%), choroid plexus (21 of 24; 87.5%), and medulla (30 of 36; 83.3%). Brain lesions were far less abundant and not as diffusely distributed (15 of 36 compartments; 41.7%) in the three SP macaques with SIVE (SP/SIVE). Among SP macaques, inflammatory lesions were most commonly observed in the choroid plexus and meninges (five of five and four of five macaques, respectively); parenchymal lesions were most often observed in the cerebral white matter and putamen (three of five and two of five animals, respectively).
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Virus Distribution within the Brain
We used in situ hybridization to localize viral RNA within productively infected cells in brain sections of infected macaques (summarized in Table 3
; complete results available in Supplemental Table 1 at http://ajp.amjpathol.org).We found excellent correlation between the presence of neuropathological lesions and viral RNA, in agreement with other studies of SIV neuropathogenesis.38,39
SIV-infected cells were found within the leptomeninges, within the stroma of the choroid plexus and tela choroidea, and within every parenchymal CNS compartment evaluated for RP macaques (140 of 140 sites; 100%), including nine sites in which histopathological lesions were not observed. For all RP macaques, in situ hybridization revealed large numbers of multinucleated giant cells, macrophages, and microglial nodules that were not readily apparent on serial sections stained with H&E.
In contrast, SIV-infected cells were localized in only 14 of 36 brain compartments from SP/SIVE (38.9%) and in only 1 of 24 sites (PTf1, meninges) examined from the two SP macaques without SIVE (4.2%). In SP macaques, infected cells were most frequently observed within the meninges (four of five) and choroid plexus (three of five), whereas the most common parenchymal sites of productive infection were the putamen and cerebellar white matter (two of five animals each). Mild neuropathological lesions were observed in the absence of detectable SIV RNA in 6 of 60 brain compartments evaluated from SP macaques.
Two patterns of virus distribution were observed in the brain parenchyma of macaques with SIVE. In animals with low parenchymal virus burden, the majority of productively infected cells were macrophages and giant cells that were localized in a multifocal, predominantly perivascular pattern (Figure 4A)
, although infected cells were also observed in rare parenchymal granulomas and microglial nodules that did not have an obvious angiocentric orientation. In contrast, a combined perivascular and diffuse pattern of virus distribution was typical of macaques with high CNS virus burden. In addition to perivascular accumulations of SIV-positive macrophages and giant cells, productively infected cells occurred diffusely throughout the neuropil in these animals (Figure 4B)
.
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The relative cell-associated virus burden was measured in the meninges, choroid plexus, and five regions of brain parenchyma (midfrontal cortical gray and white matter, caudate nucleus, putamen, and hippocampus) by semiquantitative in situ hybridization (sQISH). The mean virus burden in each anatomical compartment of brain (regional mean) is shown for each animal (Table 4)
. With one exception (PKe1), greater numbers of infected cells were observed per unit area of meninges than for any of the parenchymal compartments examined among RP macaques. Similarly, among SP/SIVE, higher viral burdens were observed in the meninges and choroid plexus than in the brain parenchyma. The compartments of brain parenchyma with the highest virus burdens in RP macaques were the cerebral cortical gray matter, cerebral cortical white matter, and hippocampus (6, 4, and 2 of 12 animals, respectively); whereas the putamen contained the highest virus burden among parenchymal sites in two of three SP/SIVE.
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The average of all parenchymal compartments for each animal is reported in Table 4
as the global mean. Regional means for meninges and choroid plexus virus burden were excluded from calculations of global mean because of the differences in morphology and vascularity of these tissues as compared with that of the brain parenchyma. Global means were significantly greater for RP as compared to SP macaques (24.3 ± 10.1 versus 0.0 ± 0.2 infected cells/mm2, respectively; P < 0.005) and SP/SIVE (0.3 ± 0.2 infected cells/mm2, P < 0.02). There was a strong correlation between the CNS virus burden, measured as the global mean, and the severity of SIVE, as measured by the SIVE index (r = 0.75, P < 0.01). Global virus burden and severity of SIVE were inversely correlated with survival time (r = -0.52 and -0.60, respectively; P < 0.05).
Immunological and Virological Correlates of Encephalitis
We compared survival time, a marker of SIV disease progression, with plasma virus loads at 1 and 2 months after inoculation and at necropsy (Table 5)
. As expected, there was a strong inverse correlation between terminal plasma virus burden and survival time (P < 0.01). Plasma virus load at 2 months after inoculation was also inversely correlated with survival time (P < 0.05); however, there was no association between plasma virus load at 1 month after inoculation and survival. In contrast, we observed a much stronger association between survival time and the anti-SIV antibody titer, with significant correlations detectable as early as 1 month after inoculation (r = 0.68, P < 0.01) and persisting at 2 months after inoculation (r = 0.82, P < 0.01) and at necropsy (r = 0.81, P < 0.01).
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An even stronger, but inverse correlation was observed between the magnitude of the anti-SIV antibody titer and the CNS virus burden in SIVsmmFGb-infected macaques. The anti-SIV antibody titers at 1 month after inoculation, 2 months after inoculation, and necropsy were negatively correlated with global virus burden in the CNS parenchyma (r = -0.61, -0.62, and -0.63, respectively; P < 0.01). Furthermore, the anti-SIV titer was inversely correlated with both meningeal and choroid plexus virus burdens at 1 month after inoculation (P < 0.01), 2 months after inoculation (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), and at necropsy (P < 0.05). These findings show that the anti-SIV-binding antibody titer is highly predictive of SIVE and CNS virus burden as early as 1 month after inoculation in the SIVsmmFGb/pig-tailed macaque model.
Plasma virus load and anti-SIV antibody titer at 1 and 2 months after inoculation and at necropsy were plotted longitudinally for each macaque to gain a better understanding of the interrelationships between virus kinetics, host humoral immunity, and SIV disease progression, particularly SIVE (Figure 5)
. There was considerable overlap between RP and SP values for plasma viral load at 1 month after inoculation (Figure 5A)
. By 2 months after inoculation, RP and SP populations began to segregate with respect to plasma virus burden; however, an individual measurement for plasma virus load at 2 months after inoculation would not necessarily be predictive of either the rate of disease progression or the presence of SIVE for an individual macaque at the time it developed SAIDS. In contrast, RP and SP populations were discretely segregated with respect to anti-SIV antibody titer by 1 month after inoculation and remained distinct throughout the course of infection (Figure 5B)
. SP/SIVE could not be discerned from SP without SIVE based on either plasma viral load or anti-SIV antibody response.
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Cells of macrophage lineage are thought to play a central role in HIV neuroinvasion, in the kinetics of HIV replication in the CNS, and in the pathophysiology of HIV-induced encephalitic and neurodegenerative lesions. To further validate the SIVsmmFGb model of SIVE for studying pathophysiological mechanisms of HIVE, we sought to examine the relationships among CNS macrophage population density, CNS virus burden, and severity of SIVE in SIVsmmFGb-infected pig-tailed macaques. To this end, cells of macrophage lineage were enumerated in sections of cerebral cortical white matter by immunohistochemical localization of CD68 antigen and computer image quantitation. The number of CD68+ cells in the cortical white matter of RP was significantly higher than that of SP macaques (medians of 207.3 ± 80.4 versus 17.4 ± 1.9, respectively; P < 0.005), SP/SIVE (median of 17.4 ± 6.7, P < 0.04), and SIV-negative controls (median of 10.2 ± 1.4, P < 0.01) (Figure 6A
and Figure 7; A to D
). A trend toward greater numbers of CD68+ cells in the cortical white matter of SP macaques versus uninfected controls (median values of 17.4 versus 10.2 cells/mm2, P < 0.11), was statistically significant when the comparison was restricted to SP/SIVE versus uninfected animals (P < 0.05). The number of CD68+ cells in the cortical white matter of infected macaques was significantly correlated with global CNS virus burden (r = 0.83; P < 0.01) and SIVE index (r = 0.86; P < 0.01) (Figure 6B)
, and inversely correlated with terminal antibody titer (r =-0.61; P < 0.01), but was not correlated with terminal plasma virus burden (r = 0.46). The correlation between the population density of CD68+ cells in cortical white matter, CNS global virus burden (r = 0.71; P < 0.01), and SIVE index (r = 0.79; P < 0.01) was maintained when the analysis was restricted to RP macaques (Figure 6C)
.
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The number, diffuse distribution, and heterogeneous cytomorphology of infected cells in the brain parenchyma of RP macaques led us to question whether the markedly neuropathogenic phenotype of SIVsmmFGb might be correlated with broader permissivity for productive infection of target cells in the CNS. To identify the phenotype of productively infected cells in the brain parenchyma, we simultaneously localized viral RNA by in situ hybridization and cellular antigens by IHC in sections of cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla from three pig-tailed macaques. RP macaques with high brain virus burden (PUf1, PSc1, and PZg1) were selected for these assays to maximize the number of target cells available for dual labeling. Productive infection of the CNS was restricted to cells of macrophage phenotype in all three animals examined, although adequate immunohistochemical labeling was achieved for other cellular markers (Figure 8; A to F)
. Cells that contained SIV hybridization signal but were unlabeled with respect to phenotype were observed in all CNS sections dual-labeled for SIV and macrophage antigens.
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| Discussion |
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To further characterize the SIVsmmFGb model of SIVE, we performed a comprehensive semiquantitative evaluation of productive virus burden throughout the brain parenchyma of untreated, SIVsmmFGb-infected pig-tailed macaques. Encephalitic lesions occur diffusely throughout the brains of HIV-infected individuals, however, postmortem studies that have analyzed the distribution of productively infected cells in brain tissue from demented patients have generally found that subcortical white matter, basal ganglia, and hippocampus harbor the greatest viral burdens.49-55 In contrast to the predominant pattern of virus distribution in the brains of HIV-infected humans, surveys of brain tissue from SIV-infected monkeys have generally revealed that virus burden is highest in cerebral and cerebellar cortical gray and white matter rather than in the basal nuclei.29,38,39,56,57 As reported for other models of SIVE, viral loads were higher in midfrontal cortex and hippocampus than in caudate nucleus and putamen of RP macaques infected with SIVsmmFGb. Interestingly, the distribution of brain virus burden in SP/SIVE macaques was similar to that described for HIV-infected humans, with the highest viral loads in the putamen and caudate nucleus.
Brain virus burdens were much higher in RP than SP/SIVE macaques, which confirms the importance of host immunity in containing viral replication in the CNS as well as in peripheral lymphoid tissues. In agreement with other models of SIVE pathogenesis, dual-label histological assays showed that productively infected cells in the brains of SIVsmmFGb-infected pig-tailed macaques are primarily of macrophage lineage,39 and both brain virus burden and lesion severity were strongly correlated with macrophage population density in the CNS.38 Infected macrophages were distributed in a perivascular pattern in the brain parenchyma of those animals with low brain virus burden (including RP as well as SP/SIVE macaques), consistent with the observations of Williams and colleagues,24 who reported that productive infection in the brains of rhesus macaques infected with either SIVmac239 or SIVmac251 was confined predominantly to blood-derived, perivascular macrophages and not parenchymal microglia. In contrast, productively infected macrophages were distributed throughout the parenchyma of the brain as well as perivascular locations in RP macaques with high brain virus burdens. The cytomorphological characteristics and parenchymal location of many of the infected macrophages in SIVsmmFGb-infected macaques are highly reminiscent of HIV-positive parenchymal microglia in HIVE,58 leading us to speculate that initial infection of perivascular macrophages may extend to include parenchymal microglia in the setting of catastrophic immune failure, as seen with RP macaques. Additional studies are needed to subphenotype infected macrophage populations in both RP and SP/SIVE groups of SIVsmmFGb-infected macaques.
The correlates of immune protection against retroviral encephalitis have not been identified, and the role of the host immune system in the pathogenesis of HIVE and HAD remains unclear. The onset of HAD typically occurs late in the course of HIV infection, after the development of profound immunodeficiency, which argues that a competent immune system protects against neuropathogenic progression.59-61 Moreover, recent evidence suggests that patients with impaired neutralizing antibody responses may be at increased risk for the development of HAD.62 SIV studies have established that early anti-viral immunity is critical for protecting against severe encephalitis and rapid disease progression, because catastrophic immune failure, as determined by a weak or undetectable anti-SIV antibody response, has been associated with rapid disease progression and SIVE.23,30,63-65 Here, we provide further proof that immune failure during acute SIV infection results in severe and rapidly fatal SIVE; indeed, the anti-SIV-binding antibody response at 1 month after inoculation was predictive of brain virus burden and severity of encephalitis, as well as survival time of SIVsmmFGb-infected macaques.
In this study it is uncertain whether anti-viral antibodies played a role in protecting macaques against SIVE, or simply served as a surrogate marker of overall immunological health. The quantity of antibodies elicited against SIV may reflect the magnitude and quality of cell-mediated immunity, because vigorous innate (ie, natural killer cell) and/or antigen-specific (ie, CD8+ CTL) cellular responses during acute infection may preserve memory CD4+ T cells essential for generating anti-viral antibodies. Depletion studies in the SIV/macaque model have shown that the absence of CD8+ cells during acute infection increases the incidence and severity of SIVE in rhesus macaques, confirming an integral role for cell-mediated immunity in protection against lentiviral encephalitis.46 Recent demonstration of potent neutralizing antibody responses during early HIV-1 infection66,67 contradict the longstanding notion that neutralizing antibodies directed against viruses isolated during acute HIV infection are undetectable for months to years after infection.68,69 Furthermore, macrophage-tropic strains of SIV appear to be particularly sensitive to antibody-mediated neutralization.70,71 Taken together, these findings suggest a more significant role for antibodies in containing virus burden in anatomical compartments such as the CNS, where macrophages account for nearly all of the productive virus infection as opposed to peripheral lymphoid tissues, where virus is produced predominantly by infected CD4+ T lymphocytes. The SIVsmmFGb model should be a valuable resource for investigating the impact of binding and functional antibodies on the neuropathogenic outcome of lentivirus infections.
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant MH61232 from the National Institute of Mental Health and RR00165 from the National Center for Research Resources).
Present address of S.P.O.: Division of Comparative Pathology, New England Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School, One Pine Hill Dr., P.O. Box 9102, Southborough, MA 01772-9102.
Accepted for publication December 4, 2003.
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