Infection of primary human placental fibroblasts with HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 142; no. 11; pp. 2237 - 2248
• Main Authors: Fazeley, F, Hu, J, Thirkill, T. L, Douglas, G. C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wien Springer-Verlag 01.01.1997; New York, NY Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: AIDS/HIV; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; biological resistance; Cells, Cultured; culture media; cytopathogenicity; endothelial cells; factor VIII; fibroblasts; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - virology; fluorescence microscopy; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HIV; HIV-1 - metabolism; HIV-1 - physiology; HIV-2 - metabolism; HIV-2 - physiology; human cell lines; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human immunodeficiency virus 2; Humans; Infections; Medical research; Microbiology; mononuclear leukocytes; Placenta - cytology; Placenta - virology; Proteins; Rabbits; Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Simian immunodeficiency virus; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus - metabolism; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus - physiology; transplacental transmission; Virology; viruses; Human; HIV-1 virus; Fetal membrane; Retroviridae; Lentivirus; HIV-2 virus; Virus; Infection; Placenta; Infectivity; Female; Human immunodeficiency virus; Permissiveness; Simian immunodeficiency virus; Fibroblast
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798
• DOI: 10.1007/s007050050238

Cells with fibroblast-like features were isolated from the villous tissue of normal term human placentas. Immunocytochemical characterization of the cells showed that they were vimentin-positive but negative for factor-VIII, CD14 and CD4. Thus, the cells are mesenchymal and are not endothelial cells, macrophages or trophoblast. These cells were exposed to nine different cell-free virus isolates, including seven isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), one HIV-2 isolate and one simian immunodeficiency virus isolate (SIVₘₐc₂₅₁). The susceptibility of the cells to infection was evaluated by immunocytochemical and virological techniques. No evidence of infection could be found using immunofluorescence microscopy or by p24 antigen capture and reverse transcriptase assays. However, virus rescue experiments using 11 different target cell types provided evidence that the placental fibroblasts were susceptible to infection with HIV-1Lₐᵢ, HIV-1IIIB, HIV-2CBL₋₂₀, and SIVₘₐc₂₅₁, yet were resistant to infection by all other isolates. The infected fibroblasts exhibited neither cytopathic effects nor released virus into the culture medium. For each infected fibroblast population, some, but not all, indicator target cell lines or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were able to rescue the respective virus. Based on these observations, we conclude that placental fibroblasts can be infected with HIV during transplacental transmission and could act as virus reservoirs, capable of infecting other fetal cells.