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DNA vaccination as anti-human immunodeficiency virus immunotherapy in infected chimpanzees.

The role of the immune response in controlling human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication is controversial. Immunotherapeutic strategies that have the ability to broaden immune responses might play a role in slowing disease progression. DNA immunization was studied as immunotherapy in infected chimpanzees. Two HIV-1-infected chimpanzees were vaccinated with DNA plasmid vaccines, one with plasmid pCMN160, which expresses the envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1MN and rev, and the other with a control plasmid. The chimpanzee immunized with pCMN160 demonstrated enhanced humoral responses. Virus load was monitored. Virus load in the chimpanzee receiving pCMN160 decreased at week 20 and has remained at background levels. The control chimpanzee was subsequently vaccinated with pCMN160. After immunization, the antibody responses increased and, as in the first animal, the virus load decreased. These results indicate the potential of the immune response to have a direct impact on HIV-1 replication in chimpanzees.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Experimental infection of chimpanzees with hepatitis G virus and genetic analysis of the virus.

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) was transmitted to 2 chimpanzees by inoculation with human plasma containing approximately 10(8) genome equivalents (GE) of HGV. The infection was characterized by the late appearance (weeks 10 and 11 after inoculation [pi]) of viremia that persisted throughout the 120-week follow-up. Serum HGV titer increased steadily until it plateaued at 10(6)-10(7) GE/mL. However, despite this relatively high titer, neither of the chimpanzees developed hepatitis. The sequence of the viral genome, recovered from each chimpanzee at week 77 pi, differed from that of the inoculum by 5 nt (2 aa) and 27 nt (2 aa). Two more chimpanzees were inoculated with a first-passage plasma pool. The chimpanzee inoculated with approximately 10(6.7) GE of HGV had viremia at week 1 pi. However, the viral titer increased with the same kinetics as observed in the first passage. The second chimpanzee inoculated with approximately 10(4.7) GE of HGV had late appearance (week 7 pi) of viremia.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Antibody responses of chimpanzees immunized with synthetic peptides corresponding to full-length V3 hypervariable loops of HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins.

Immunization of primates or humans with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) glycoproteins usually elicited moderate immune responses to the principal neutralizing determinant (PND) located within the V3 hypervariable loop of gp120. Since an antibody response to the PND appears to be protective, experiments were carried out to determine the responsiveness of chimpanzees to immunization with synthetic peptides corresponding to the full-length V3 loop. Seven chimpanzees (4 preimmunized with gp160, 2 preimmunized with HIV-1 antigens unrelated to gp160, and 1 unimmunized) were vaccinated with a mixture of full-length V3 loop peptides from 21 distinct HIV-1 isolates (clones) either in unconjugated form or linked to carrier proteins from HIV-1 nef and gag P18, respectively. Six chimpanzees developed high levels of antibodies to the peptides (dilution endpoints 1: greater than 25,000), and 5 had high levels of antibodies to gp120 from HIV-1IIIB (endpoint titers 1: greater than 500,000). Chimpanzees immunized with peptide-carrier conjugates (4) had antibodies to the carrier proteins nef and gag P18, respectively (endpoint titers 1: greater than or equal to 35,000). Virus-neutralizing (VN) antibodies were detected in sera of 5 of 7 chimpanzees, but were present at titers of 1: greater than or equal to 400 only in sera of 2 chimpanzees. One of these was challenged with HIV-1 and was protected against infection, as reported elsewhere. The antibodies were primarily specific for the HIV-1 isolate used for primary immunization before boosting with peptides. The relatively low dilution endpoints of VN antibodies as compared with endpoints determined by site-specific immunoassays probably can be ascribed to imperfect mimicry of conformational epitopes by synthetic peptides. Nevertheless, sequential or simultaneous immunization with recombinant envelope glycoproteins of HIV-1 and selected synthetic peptides offers an approach for eliciting protective immunity against HIV-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Dual tropism of HIV-1 IIIB for chimpanzee lymphocytes and monocytes.

In humans, macrophages serve as a major reservoir of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in the infected host and may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In HIV-1-infected chimpanzees, however, virus could not be recovered from cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage, leaving the question of macrophage tropism of HIV-1 in this species unresolved. The data reported that HIV-1 IIIB shows dual tropism and is infectious for both chimpanzee monocytes and lymphocytes in vitro. Viral replication in chimpanzee monocytes was clearly demonstrated by infection of allogeneic phytohemagglutinin (PHA) blasts in vitro and by electron microscopy (EM). EM revealed HIV particles associated with 10-15% of the HIV-1 IIIB-infected chimpanzee monocytes. Viral particles budding from the monocyte surface in the typical crescent form were noted as well. This is in contrast to the human situation, where monocytotropic HIV strains preferentially bud into and accumulate in cytoplasmic vacuoles. These results indicate that both lymphocytes and cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage replicate virus in the chimpanzee; the cell tropism of viral strains, however, is different in chimpanzees and humans.

Animals↗

IgA immunity in HIV type 1-infected chimpanzees. I. Systemic immunity.

HIV infection in humans causes various aberrancies in both the cellular and humoral immune systems, including functional abnormalities of B lymphocytes. In many instances, dysfunction occurs in the regulation of serum IgA, resulting in elevated concentrations of this immunoglobulin isotype. To determine whether HIV-1-infected chimpanzees develop IgA abnormalities similar to those observed in humans, we quantified total IgA, IgG, and IgM levels in sera collected longitudinally from six HIV-infected chimpanzees and one uninfected control animal. In comparison to immunoglobulin levels in the uninfected animal, two of the six infected chimpanzees exhibited increases in serum immunoglobulins following infection with HIV. Two other infected animals showed a marked decrease in the three isotypes within 10 months of exposure to HIV, followed by a return to baseline levels. The remaining two HIV-infected chimpanzees displayed serum immunoglobulin levels that paralleled the baseline levels and did not show great deviation over a period of 20 to 45 months postinfection. ELISA analyses of the IgA subclasses revealed possible abnormalities of the IgA2 subclass within the two animals that did not display irregular IgA, IgG, or IgM responses to HIV-1. Specific IgG, IgA, IgA1, and IgA2 antibodies to HIV antigens were detected by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kit and by Western blot analysis with IgA, IgA1, and IgA2 antibodies directed against the env, gag, and pol gene products. Because IgG can mask the detection of HIV-specific IgA antibodies in infected humans, Western blots and EIAs were also performed on IgG-depleted chimpanzee sera. The results demonstrated that in some instances, IgA reactivity against HIV antigens can be enhanced on removal of IgG. This study indicates that HIV-1 is capable of inducing abnormalities in serum IgA expression in chimpanzees. These results might further understanding of how HIV affects humoral responses in infected humans.

Animals↗

IgA immunity in HIV type 1-infected chimpanzees. II. Mucosal immunity.

Vaginal wash fluids from chimpanzees cervically infected with HIV-1 and saliva from intravenously and cervically infected chimpanzees were analyzed for total IgA, IgA1, IgA2, IgG, and albumin concentrations and for reactivity against HIV-1. No overt abnormalities were detected in salivary immunoglobulin or albumin concentrations in either group of animals. Anti-HIV IgA and IgA subclass antibodies were demonstrated in saliva from five of six intravenously infected chimpanzees and in two of four cervically infected animals, with titers ranging from 1:5 to 1:20. HIV-specific IgG antibodies could be detected in saliva from half of the systemically infected group, the highest titer being 1:2560, whereas the highest anti-HIV IgG titer in the mucosally infected group was 1:20. Western blot analyses of the first saliva samples obtained after initial virus exposure revealed IgG, IgA, and IgA subclass antibodies directed at the env, gag, or pol gene products in both groups of chimpanzees. Examination of IgG, IgA, IgA1, and IgA2 concentrations in vaginal washes from cervically infected animals showed that IgG levels were highest, but IgA and IgA subclass reactivities against HIV-1 were more prominent than that of IgG. These results demonstrate that systemic infection of chimpanzees with HIV-1 elicits mucosal responses specific for HIV, and vaginal infection of chimpanzees induces a common mucosal immune response reminiscent of that in humans.

Albumins↗

Fine specificity of anti-V3 antibodies induced in chimpanzees by HIV candidate vaccines.

The fine specificity of the anti-V3 antibody responses induced in chimpanzees immunized by various human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) candidate vaccines and challenged by heterologous strains of HIV-1 was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Pepscan epitope mapping. Two chimpanzees immunized with the recombinant canarypox virus ALVAC-HIV (vCP125) expressing gp160MN and boosted with purified gp160MN/LAI alone, then with both immunogens in combination, were not protected against challenge with HIV-1 SF2. Their sera mainly recognized one epitope of the V3 loop, located in the NH2-terminal half. By contrast, immunization of two other chimpanzees with purified gp160MN/LAI and boosting with a synthetic V3MN peptide elicited a strong anti-V3 antibody response with a broader specificity directed against multiple epitopes all along the V3 loop. These chimpanzees were protected against infection by HIV-1 SF2. However, when these two chimpanzees were challenged later with a HIV-1 clade E strain virus, they became infected. We failed to detect any reactivity with the peptide of the ectodomain of gp41 of sera harvested after immunization with the various immunogens or after challenge with HIV-1 SF2 or HIV-1 90CR402. These results demonstrated that anti-V3 antibodies with a restricted fine specificity were induced in chimpanzees immunized with gp160 purified or expressed by recombinant canarypox confirming our previous results obtained in three different species (human, guinea pig and, macaque). In contrast, a boost with the V3 peptide broadened antibody responses, suggesting that the mode of presentation of the V3 loop to the immune system strongly influences the epitope specificity of the resulting antibody response.

AIDS Vaccines↗

Genetic immunization of chimpanzees chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus, using a recombinant retroviral vector encoding the hepatitis B virus core antigen.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity and CD4+ helper T cell responses to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen (HBcAg) have been implicated in clearance of acute and chronic HBV infections. We showed that intramuscular injections of a novel recombinant retroviral vector expressing an HBcAg-neomycin phosphotransferase II (HBc-NEO) fusion protein induces HBc/eAg-specific antibodies and CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in mice and rhesus monkeys. We have now immunized three chronically infected chimpanzees, each with 10(10) CFU of nonreplicating retroviral vector particles expressing the HBc-NEO fusion protein. Of two immunized chimpanzees examined for CTL responses, one developed HBcAg-specific CTLs and showed marginal, transient elevations of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels following injection. However, both chimpanzees remained positive for serum HBeAg, negative for anti-HBe antibody by conventional assays, and displayed no change in HBV viral load throughout the study. In contrast, the third chimpanzee exhibited a traditional seroconversion evidenced by a loss of serum HBeAg and the subsequent emergence of anti-HBe antibodies within 24 weeks after the first injection. Simultaneously, two transient ALT flares and a significant decrease in the serum HBV DNA levels were noted. Despite its limitations, the present study demonstrates (1) the safety of treatment with high titers of retroviral vector in chimpanzees, (2) the capability of a retroviral vector expressing HBcAg to stimulate immune responses in HBV chronic carrier chimpanzees, and (3) that retroviral vector immunization may be therapeutically beneficial in the treatment of chronic HBV infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Induction in chimpanzees of antibodies inhibiting receptor-mediated cell fusion by HIV glycoprotein.

Cell fusion of HTLV-IIIB-infected EBV-transformed B cells and CD4+ T cells was inhibited by sera from eight of nine HIV infected chimpanzees. Syncytia formation was reduced by sixty percent relative to control after only 5 minutes of preincubation of the HIV infected cells with immune primate serum, indicating that these antibodies have high affinity for HIV protein on the surface of infected cells. Serum dilutions that blocked formation of syncytia irreversibly within 24 hrs also blocked expression of HIV antigens by the target CD4+ cells. Three of four animals inoculated with the LAV or HTLV-IIIB strain of HIV developed antibodies inhibiting CD4-dependent cell fusion by HIV glycoprotein (CFI-antibodies) 2-3 months after inoculation coincident with development of HIV specific IgG antibodies. Similar early CFI-antibody responses occurred in two second passage chimpanzees. In contrast, a chimpanzee infected with a third passage of LAV had a delayed CFI-antibody response, indicating that variants of HIV with divergent CFI epitopes did eventually emerge. Delayed development of CFI-antibodies (6-11 months after inoculation) relative to HIV specific IgG ELISA antibody was also seen in a chimpanzee on primary passage and a chimpanzee on second passage of HTLV-IIIB. No CFI-antibodies were detected in a chimpanzee following inoculation with human brain tissue, while antibodies to other structural proteins were recognized by immunoblotting. These results indicate that changes in CFI epitopes occur under immune pressure and that the appearance of CFI-antibodies depends on the time after infection and on the degree to which CFI epitopes of the inoculum strain diverge from those of the test strain.

Animals↗

Handedness is associated with asymmetries in gyrification of the cerebral cortex of chimpanzees.

Gyrification of the cerebral cortex reflects complexity in cortical folding during development of the brain. In this paper, we evaluated whether chimpanzees show asymmetries in gyrification and if variation in gyrification asymmetries were associated with handedness. Magnetic resonance images were obtained in a sample of 76 chimpanzees, and gyrification measures were obtained from 10 equally spaced slices of the cortex. Asymmetry quotients (AQs) in gyrification were compared for 4 measures of handedness including reaching, coordinated bimanual actions, manual gestures, and throwing. Overall, the chimpanzees showed significant differences between the right and left hemispheres that were region specific. Significant differences in AQ's were found in right- and nonright-handed chimpanzees for throwing and, to a lesser degree, for manual gestures. Increasing age was associated with increasing gyrification in the prefrontal regions, particularly in female chimpanzees. The results indicate that variation in gyrification between hemispheres is associated with functional measures of laterality in chimpanzees.

Aging↗

Low nucleotide diversity in chimpanzees and bonobos.

Comparison of the levels of nucleotide diversity in humans and apes may provide much insight into the mechanisms of maintenance of DNA polymorphism and the demographic history of these organisms. In the past, abundant mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphism data indicated that nucleotide diversity (pi) is more than threefold higher in chimpanzees than in humans. Furthermore, it has recently been claimed, on the basis of limited data, that this is also true for nuclear DNA. In this study we sequenced 50 noncoding, nonrepetitive DNA segments randomly chosen from the nuclear genome in 9 bonobos and 17 chimpanzees. Surprisingly, the pi value for bonobos is only 0.078%, even somewhat lower than that (0.088%) for humans for the same 50 segments. The pi values are 0.092, 0.130, and 0.082% for East, Central, and West African chimpanzees, respectively, and 0.132% for all chimpanzees. These values are similar to or at most only 1.5 times higher than that for humans. The much larger difference in mtDNA diversity than in nuclear DNA diversity between humans and chimpanzees is puzzling. We speculate that it is due mainly to a reduction in effective population size (N(e)) in the human lineage after the human-chimpanzee divergence, because a reduction in N(e) has a stronger effect on mtDNA diversity than on nuclear DNA diversity. Sequence data from this article have been deposited with the GenBank Data libraries under accession nos. AY 275957-AY 277244.

Animals↗

Behavioral management of chimpanzees in biomedical research facilities: the state of the science.

The current status of the behavioral management of chimpanzees housed in US research facilities is examined, and recent advances are described. Behavioral management includes the application of environmental enrichment, animal training, and environmental design for improving animal welfare. Authors surveyed the six major chimpanzee holding facilities and found that the vast majority of chimpanzees are housed socially, with access to the outdoors. The institutions currently invest in behavioral scientists, enrichment specialists, and, most recently, chimpanzee trainers to implement and study chimpanzee behavioral management. This review is based on the substantial scientific literature related to managing social behavior, identifying the behavioral effects of restricted socialization, evaluating various forms of enrichment, and describing positive reinforcement animal training. Authors outline recent accomplishments in behavioral management, summarize behavioral issues that have been evaluated, and identify issues for future consideration. It is proposed that the enhanced application of behavioral management techniques, including training, could significantly reduce chimpanzee stress that is generally associated with experimental manipulations, and could improve animal welfare and the quality of biomedical research. The next challenge is to implement effectively and thoroughly the approaches that have been shown to be beneficial.

Academies and Institutes↗

Persistent non-A, non-B hepatitis in experimentally infected chimpanzees.

Non-A, non-B (NANB) hepatitis was transmitted to six chimpanzees by intravenous inoculation of antihemophilic (factor VIII) materials, acute-phase chimpanzee liver, and chronic-phase plasma obtained from two NANB hepatitis-infected chimpanzees 10 and 16 months, respectively, after their inoculation. Five of six experimentally infected chimpanzees observed for more than one year demonstrated persistent or intermittent elevations in levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) indicative of continuing liver dysfunction. Liver biopsy specimens obtained from three chimpanzees with persistent elevations in levels of ALT were positive for hepatocyte cytoplasmic structures associated with NANB hepatitis for as long as 27 months after inoculation. Liver biopsy specimens obtained from four infected animals 13-30 months after inoculation also showed mild but persistent histopathologic lesions of undefined character. The detection of circulating immune complexes in one chimpanzee with persistent elevations in levels of ALT suggests that these complexes may be involved in the pathogenesis of NANB hepatitis.

Animals↗

Temporal patterns of ultrastructural alterations in hepatocytes of chimpanzees with experimental non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Non-A, non-B hepatitis was transmitted to eight chimpanzees by intravenous inoculation with antihemophilic materials (factor VIII) that had been implicated in transmission of the disease, with acute-phase liver homogenate from an infected chimpanzee, with acute-phase from an infected chimpanzee, or with chronic-phase plasma from infected chimpanzees. All eight animals developed elevated alanine aminotransferase activity, and all demonstrated unique hepatocyte cytoplasmic tubules at some time during the acute phase of disease. The temporal patterns for tubule appearance in hepatocyte cytoplasm, however, were highly variable, even between chimpanzees given similar inocula. Convoluted membranous structures were found occasionally in early or pre-acute-phase liver biopsy specimens. Aggregates of microtubules were also found in hepatocyte cytoplasm in some acute-phase biopsy specimens. No disease-specific nuclear changes or structures, including clusters or crystalline arrays of virus-like particles, were found in any of the serial liver biopsy specimens from chimpanzees with experimental non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Alanine Transaminase↗

Immune response to epitopes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) structural proteins in HCV-infected humans and chimpanzees.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected humans and chimpanzees were studied for reactivity with linear epitopes in HCV H strain structural proteins. In 10 HCV-infected patients, epitopes were mostly mapped to the capsid and E1 proteins but not to E2. However, serum from 1 HCV-infected blood donor with a high anti-capsid titer reacted with multiple epitopes including E2. By contrast, antibody to capsid epitopes was seen in sera from HCV-rechallenged chimpanzees but not from chronically infected animals. No reactivity was observed to GOR epitope in chimpanzees, while 6 of 11 human subjects reacted with this host-coded antigen. Reactivity to rare epitopes in E2 was seen in chimpanzees with chronic and self-limited infections. Reactivity to one peptide of E1 (aa 316-329) was observed in 10 of 11 sera from HCV-infected humans and 11 of 15 chimpanzee sera. However, reactivity to this epitope was also seen in normal chimpanzees and in 6 (7.1%) of 84 uninfected human subjects.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Comparative nuclear and mitochondrial genome diversity in humans and chimpanzees.

Restriction mapping and sequencing have shown that humans have substantially lower levels of mitochondrial genome diversity (d) than chimpanzees. In contrast, humans have substantially higher levels of heterozygosity (H) at protein-coding loci, suggesting a higher level of diversity in the nuclear genome. To investigate the discrepancy further, we sequenced a segment of the mitochondrial genome control region (CR) from 49 chimpanzees. The majority of these were from the Pan troglodytes versus subspecies, which was underrepresented in previous studies. We also estimated the average heterozygosity at 60 short tandem repeat (STR) loci in both species. For a total sample of 115 chimpanzees, d = 0.075 +/0 0.037, compared to 0.020 +/- 0.011 for a sample of 1,554 humans. The heterozygosity of human STR loci is significantly higher than that of chimpanzees. Thus, the higher level of nuclear genome diversity relative to mitochondrial genome diversity in humans is not restricted to protein-coding loci. It seems that humans, not chimpanzees, have an unusual d/H ratio, since the ratio in chimpanzees is similar to that in other catarrhines. This discrepancy in the relative levels of nuclear and mitochondrial genome diversity in the two species cannot be explained by differences in mutation rate. However, it may result from a combination of factors such as a difference in the extent of sex ratio disparity, the greater effect of population subdivision on mitochondrial than on nuclear genome diversity, a difference in the relative levels of male and female migration among subpopulations, diversifying selection acting to increase variation in the nuclear genome, and/or directional selection acting to reduce variation in the mitochondrial genome.

Animals↗

Microsatellite allele frequencies in humans and chimpanzees, with implications for constraints on allele size.

The distributions of allele sizes at eight simple-sequence repeat (SSR) or microsatellite loci in chimpanzees are found and compared with the distributions previously obtained from several human populations. At several loci, the differences in average allele size between chimpanzees and humans are sufficiently small that there might be a constraint on the evolution of average allele size. Furthermore, a model that allows for a bias in the mutation process shows that for some loci a weak bias can account for the observations. Several alleles at one of the loci (Mfd 59) were sequenced. Differences between alleles of different lengths were found to be more complex than previously assumed. An 8-base-pair deletion was present in the nonvariable region of the chimpanzee locus. This locus contains a previously unrecognized repeated region, which is imperfect in humans and perfect in chimpanzees. The apparently greater opportunity for mutation conferred by the two perfect repeat regions in chimpanzees is reflected in the higher variance in repeat number at Mfd 59 in chimpanzees than in humans. These data indicate that interspecific differences in allele length are not always attributable to simple changes in the number of repeats.

Alleles↗

Chimpanzee fetal G gamma and A gamma globin gene nucleotide sequences provide further evidence of gene conversions in hominine evolution.

The fetal globin genes G gamma and A gamma from one chromosome of a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) were sequenced and found to be closely similar to the corresponding genes of man and the gorilla. These genes contain identical promoter and termination signals and have exons 1 and 2 separated by the conserved short intron 1 (122 bp) and exons 2 and 3 separated by the more rapidly evolving, larger intron 2 (893 bp and 887 bp in chimpanzee G gamma and A gamma, respectively). Each intron 2 has a stretch of simple sequence DNA (TG)n serving possibly as a "hot spot" for recombination. The two chimpanzee genes encode polypeptide chains that differ only at position 136 (glycine in G gamma and alanine in A gamma) and that are identical to the corresponding human chains, which have aspartic acid at position 73 and lysine at 104 in contrast to glycine and arginine at these respective positions of the gorilla A gamma chain. Phylogenetic analysis by the parsimony method revealed four silent (synonymous) base substitutions in evolutionary descent of the chimpanzee G gamma and A gamma codons and none in the human and gorilla codons. These Homininae (Pan, Homo, Gorilla) coding sequences evolved at one-tenth the average mammalian rate for nonsynonymous and one-fourth that for synonymous substitutions. Three sequence regions that were affected by gene conversions between chimpanzee G gamma and A gamma loci were identified: one extended 3' of the hot spot with G gamma replaced by the A gamma sequence, another extended 5' of the hot spot with A gamma replaced by G gamma, and the third conversion extended from the 5' flanking to the 5' end of intron 2, with G gamma replaced here by the A gamma sequence. A conversion similar to this third one has occurred independently in the descent of the gorilla genes. The four previously identified conversions, labeled C1-C4 (Scott et al. 1984), were substantiated with the addition of the chimpanzee genes to our analysis (C1 being shared by all three hominines and C2, C3, and C4 being found only in humans). Thus, the fetal genes from all three of these hominine species have been active in gene conversions during the descent of each species.

Animals↗