A doxycycline-dependent human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replicates in vivo without inducing CD4+ T-cell depletion
A novel genetic approach for the control of virus replication was used for the design of a conditionally replicating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) variant, HIV-rtTA. HIV-rtTA gene expression and virus replication are strictly dependent on the presence of a non-toxic effector molecule, doxycycli...
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Published in | Journal of general virology Vol. 93; no. Pt 9; pp. 2017 - 2027 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
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Society for General Microbiology
01.09.2012
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | A novel genetic approach for the control of virus replication was used for the design of a conditionally replicating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) variant, HIV-rtTA. HIV-rtTA gene expression and virus replication are strictly dependent on the presence of a non-toxic effector molecule, doxycycline (dox), and thus can be turned on and off at will in a graded and reversible manner. The in vivo replication capacity, pathogenicity and genetic stability of this HIV-rtTA variant were evaluated in a humanized mouse model of haematopoiesis that harbours lymphoid and myeloid components of the human immune system (HIS). Infection of dox-fed BALB Rag/γc HIS (BRG-HIS) mice with HIV-rtTA led to the establishment of a productive infection without CD4(+) T-cell depletion. The virus did not show any sign of escape from dox control for up to 10 weeks after the onset of infection. No reversion towards a functional Tat-transactivating responsive (TAR) RNA element axis was observed, confirming the genetic stability of the HIV-rtTA variant in vivo. These results demonstrate the proof of concept that HIV-rtTA replicates efficiently in vivo. HIV-rtTA is a promising tool for fundamental research to study virus-host interactions in vivo in a controlled fashion. |
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Bibliography: | Part of the Human Vaccine Consortium, ‘Grand Challenge in Global Health #4: devise reliable testing systems for new vaccines’. Present address: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA. Present address: InnaVirVax SA, Evry, France. Present address: Axenis S. A. S., Paris, France. |
ISSN: | 0022-1317 1465-2099 |
DOI: | 10.1099/vir.0.042796-0 |