Reduced genetic diversity in lymphoid and central nervous system tissues and selection-induced tissue-specific compartmentalization of neuropathogenic SIVsmmFGb during acute infection

Well-mixed plasma and tissue viral populations in RT-SHIV-infected macaques implies a lack of viral replication in the tissues during antiretroviral therapy

BACKGROUND

Determining the anatomic compartments that contribute to plasma HIV-1 is critical to understanding the sources of residual viremia during combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). We analyzed viral DNA and RNA populations in the plasma and tissues from macaques infected with SIV containing HIV-1 RT (RT-SHIV) to identify possible sources of persistent viremia and to investigate the effect of ART on viral replication in tissues. Tissues were collected at necropsy from four pigtailed macaques infected for 30 weeks with a diverse population of RT-SHIV. Two animals (6760 and 8232) were untreated and two animals (8030 and 8272) were treated with efavirenz, tenofovir, and emtricitabine for 20 weeks.

RESULTS

A total of 1800 single-genome RT-SHIV pol and env DNA and RNA sequences were analyzed from the plasma, PBMCs, axillary and mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, small intestine, bone marrow, lung, and brain. Analyses of intracellular DNA and RNA populations revealed that the majority of proviruses in tissues from untreated animal 8232 were not expressed, whereas a greater proportion of proviruses in tissues were expressed from 6760. Few intracellular RNA sequences were detected in treated animals and most contained inactivating mutations, such as frame shifts or large deletions. Phylogenetics showed that RT-SHIV DNA populations in tissues were not different from virus in contemporary plasma samples in the treated or untreated animals, demonstrating a lack of anatomic compartmentalization and suggesting that plasma viremia is derived from multiple tissue sources. No sequence divergence was detected in the plasma or between tissues in the treated animals after 20 weeks of ART indicating a lack of ongoing replication in tissues during treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Virus populations in plasma and tissues did not differ significantly in either treated or untreated macaques, suggesting frequent exchange of virus or infected cells between tissues and plasma, consistent with non-compartmentalized and widely disseminated infection. There was no genetic evidence of ongoing replication in tissues during suppressive ART.

A longitudinal magnetization transfer imaging evaluation of brain injury in a macaque model of neuroAIDS

Magnetization transfer (MT) imaging has been explored in prior studies of HIV patients and showed the potential capacity to assess brain injury after HIV infection. In the present study, adult pig-tailed macaques were infected with a highly neuropathogenic virus SIVsmmFGb. MT imaging was exploited to examine the monkey brains before simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) inoculation and 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks post-SIV inoculation. Blood samples were collected from each animal for monitoring CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells before each MRI scan. The MT ratios (MTR) in several brain regions of interest were evaluated longitudinally. Significant reductions of MTR were observed in whole brain and selected regions of interest (genu, splenium, thalamus, caudate, centrum semiovale, frontal white matter, frontal gray matter, and putamen) in the SIV-infected monkeys, consistent with those reported previously in HIV patients. In particular, the longitudinal results indicate that abnormal MTR reduction can be detected as early as in 2 weeks and MTR may be more sensitive to the brain injury in cortical regions than in subcortical regions during acute SIV infection. In addition, MTR reduction in genu, centrum semiovale, and thalamus significantly correlated with the CD4(+) T cell percentage decrease. Also, the MTR reduction in thalamus correlated with the CD8(+) T cell percentage elevation. Taken together, this study reported the longitudinal evolution of MTR in different brain regions during SIV infection and further validates previous findings in HIV patients. The preliminary results suggest that MT imaging could be a robust and sensitive approach to characterize the neurodegeneration after SIV or HIV infection.

Longitudinal cerebral metabolic changes in pig-tailed macaques infected with the neurovirulent virus SIVsmmFGb

Longitudinal cerebral metabolite changes in pig-tailed macaques inoculated with the simian immunodeficiency virus SIVsmmFGb were evaluated with in vivo proton MRS at 3 T. Blood sample collection, and MRS were carried out before and 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks after SIV inoculation. Significant reduction of N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) and choline (Cho)/Cr ratios in prefrontal gray matter (PGM) and glutamate/glutamine(Glx)/Cr ratio in striatum, and increase of myo-inositol (mI)/Cr in striatum were observed during acute SIV infection. The metabolite alterations during the SIVsmmFGb infection are largely in agreement with previous findings in other non-human primate models and HIV patients. Also, NAA/Cr in PGM and striatum and Glx/Cr in striatum are negatively correlated with the percentage of CD8+ T cells after the SIV infection, suggesting the interaction between brain metabolite and immune dysfunction. The present study complements previous studies by describing the time course of alterations of brain metabolites during SIVsmmFGb infection. The findings further demonstrate the efficacy of the SIVsmmFGb-infected macaque as a model to characterize central nervous system infection using novel neuroimaging approaches and also as a tool for exploration of novel and advanced neuroimaging techniques in HIV/AIDS studies.

Profound differences in virus population genetics correspond to protection from CD4 decline resulting from feline lentivirus coinfection

CD4 decline is a hallmark of disease onset in individuals infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) or Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1). Cats that are infected with a poorly replicating, apathogenic FIV (PLV) prior to exposure to a virulent FIV strain (FIVC) maintain CD4 numbers by mechanisms that are not correlated with a measurable adaptive immune response or reduction in circulating viral load. We employed population genetic approaches based on the 3′ portion of the viral genome to estimate the population structure of FIVC from single and dual infected cats. In dual infected cats, FIVC effective population size was decreased during the initial viral expansion phase, and after three weeks of infection, the population declined sharply. The FIVC population recovered to pre-bottleneck levels approximately seven weeks post-FIVC infection. However, the population emerging from the bottleneck in dual infected cats was distinct based on estimates of temporal population structure and substitution profiles. The transition to transversion rate ratio (κ) increased from early to late phases in dual infected cats due primarily to a decrease in transversions whereas in single infected cats, κ declined over time. Although one clone with extensive G to A substitutions, indicative of host cytidine deaminase editing, was recovered from a dual infected cat during the bottleneck, the post bottleneck population had an overall reduction in G to A substitutions. These data are consistent with a model of PLV-induced host restriction, putatively involving host DNA editing, that alters the dynamics of FIVC throughout the course of infection leading to disease attenuation.

Neuropathogenic SIVsmmFGb genetic diversity and selection-induced tissue-specific compartmentalization during chronic infection and temporal evolution of viral genes in lymphoid tissues and regions of the central nervous system

SIVsmmFGb is a lentivirus swarm that induces neuropathology in over 90% of infected pigtailed macaques and reliably models central nervous system HIV infection in people. We have previously studied SIVsmmFGb genetic diversity and compartmentalization during acute infection, but little is understood about diversity and intertissue compartmentalization during chronic infection. Tissue-specific pressure appeared to affect the diversity of Nef sequences between tissues, but changes to the Env V1 region and Int diversity were similar across all tissues. At 2 months postinfection, compartmentalization of the SIVsmmFGb env V1 region, nef, and int was noted between different brain regions and between brain regions and lymph nodes. Convergent evolution of the nef and env V1 region, and divergent evolution of int, was noted between compartments and all genes demonstrated intratissue temporal segregation. For the env V1 region and nef, temporal segregation was stronger in the brain regions than the periphery, but little difference between tissues was noted for int. Positive selection of the env V1 region appeared in most tissues at 2 months postinfection, whereas nef and int faced negative selection in all tissues. Positive selection of the env V1 region sequences increased in some brain regions over time. SIVsmmFGb nef and int sequences each saw increased negative selection in brain regions, and one lymph node, over the course of infection. Functional differences between tissue compartments decreased over time for int and env V1 region sequences, but increased for nef sequences.

Evidence for adaptive evolution at the divergence between lymphoid and brain HIV-1 nef genes

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection of the central nervous system frequently causes HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The role of HIV Nef and other accessory proteins in HAND pathogenesis is unclear. To determine whether HIV nef undergoes adaptive selection in brain, we cloned 100 nef sequences (n = 30 brain and n = 70 lymphoid) from four patients with AIDS and HIV-associated dementia (HAD). Normalized nonsynonymous substitutions were more frequent at the divergence of lymphoid and brain sequences, indicating stronger adaptive selection in brain compared to lymphoid tissue. Brain-specific nonsynonymous substitutions were found within an NH(3)-terminal CTL epitope, the PACS1 binding motif, or positions predicted to be important for activation of the myeloid-restricted Src family tyrosine kinase Hck. These results suggest that adaptive selection of HIV nef in brain may reflect altered requirements for efficient replication in macrophages and brain-specific immune selection pressures.