The vpx gene of simian immunodeficiency virus facilitates efficient viral replication in fresh lymphocytes and macrophage

Sequences responsible for efficient replication of simian immunodeficiency virus SIVMND in cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage.

We determined the susceptibility of monocytic cell lines to infection with viral strains derived from two infectious clones of simian immunodeficiency virus isolated from a mandrill. One of the strains, which replicates poorly in T cell lines, was found to grow more rapidly than the other in these cells. The viral determinant for this property was genetically mapped within the env gene encoding...

The paradox of simian immunodeficiency virus infection in sooty mangabeys: active viral replication without disease progression.

Simian immunodeficiency virus SIVsm causes an asymptomatic infection in its natural host, the sooty mangabey, but induces an immunodeficiency syndrome very similar to human AIDS when transferred to a new host species such as the rhesus macaque. Unexpectedly, SIVsm replication dynamics is comparable in the two species, with rapid accumulation of viral mutations and a high viral load detected in ...

Phosphorylation by MAPK regulates simian immunodeficiency virus Vpx protein nuclear import and virus infectivity.

Transport of the viral genome into the nucleus required phosphorylation of components in the preintegration complex by virion-associated host cellular kinases. In this study, we showed that ERK-2/MAPK is associated with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) virions and regulated the nuclear transport of Vpx and virus replication in non-proliferating target cells by phosphorylating Vpx. Suppressio...

Replication Blocks in Simian Cells Determinants of Early, Postentry Capsid Proteins Are Major Viral Human and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

IL-7 stimulates T cell renewal without increasing viral replication in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques.

The main failure of antiretroviral therapy is the lack of restoration of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cells. IL-7, which has been shown to be a crucial cytokine for thymopoiesis, has been envisaged as an additive therapeutic strategy. However, in vitro studies suggest that IL-7 might sustain HIV replication in thymocytes and T lymphocytes. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the effect of IL...