Abstract
The humanized NOD/SCID/IL-2 receptor γ-chain(null) (NSG) mouse model has been widely used for the study of HIV pathogenesis. Here, NSG mice with transgenic expression of human stem cell factor (SCF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-3 (NSG-SGM3) were injected with peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL mice) from two HIV-infected (HIV(+) ) patients who were under anti-retroviral therapy (ART; referred as HIV(+) mice) or one HIV-seronegative healthy volunteer (HIV(-) ). Such mice are either hu-PBL-NSG-SGM3 HIV(+) or HIV(-) mice, depending on the source of PBL. The kinetics of HIV replication and T cell responses following engraftment were evaluated in peripheral blood and secondary lymphoid tissues. High HIV replication and low CD4 : CD8 ratios were observed in HIV(+) mice in the absence of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Consistent with high activation and skewed differentiation of T cells from the HIV-infected donor, HIV(+) mice exhibited a higher T cell co-expression of human leukocyte antigen D-related (HLA-DR) and CD38 than HIV(-) mice, as well as a shifted differentiation to a CCR7(-) CD45RA(+) terminal effector profile, even in the presence of ART. In addition, HIV replication and the activation/differentiation disturbances of T cells were associated with decreased plasma levels of IL-17A. Thus, this hu-PBL-NSG-SGM3 mouse model recapitulates some immune disturbances occurring in HIV-infected patients, underlying its potential use for studying pathogenic events during this infection.