Improved capacity of a monkey-tropic HIV-1 derivative to replicate in cynomolgus monkeys with minimal modifications

Akatsuki Saito, Masako Nomaguchi, Sayuki Iijima, Ayumu Kuroishi, Tomoyuki Yoshida, Young-Jung Lee, Toshiyuki Hayakawa, Ken Kono, Emi E Nakayama, Tatsuo Shioda, Yasuhiro Yasutomi, Akio Adachi, Tetsuro Matano, Hirofumi Akari

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) hardly replicates in Old World monkeys. Recently, a mutant HIV-1 clone, NL-DT5R, in which a small part of gag and the entire vif gene are replaced with SIVmac239-derived ones, was shown to be able to replicate in pigtail monkeys but not in rhesus monkeys (RM). In the present study, we found that a modified monkey-tropic HIV-1 (HIV-1mt), MN4-5S, acquired the ability to replicate efficiently in cynomolgus monkeys as compared with the NL-DT5R, while neither NL-DT5R nor MN4-5S replicated in RM cells. These results suggest that multiple determinants may be involved in the restriction of HIV-1 replication in macaques, depending on the species of macaques. The new HIV-1mt clone will be useful for studying molecular mechanisms by which anti-viral host factors regulate HIV-1 replication in macaques.

Microbes and Infection, in press (e-pub: doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2010.10.001)

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