Search

Lymphoid organs have been proposed to function as the major reservoir for the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Within lymphatic tissues germinal centers represent foci of rapidly proliferating B cells governed by the interaction between B and T cells and follicular dendritic cells (FDC). Accumulating evidence suggests an important role of FDC in the pathophysiology of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Direct proof for the infectibility of FDC with HIV-1 has been lacking until recently when we were able to demonstrate a CD4-independent infection of FDC in vitro. Here we report that in vitro HIV-1-infected human FDC do not only contain proviral DNA, but also produce the virus, and transmit the infection to T cells. Furthermore, electron microscopical studies on ex vivo isolated FDC from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus monkeys revealed typical virus budding. In addition, FDC from SIV-infected rhesus monkeys transmitted the infection to T cells in vitro. Due to this central role within the immune response FDC may serve as preferential targets for HIV both by trapping of virions on their surfaces and by productive infection. During disease FDC become productively infected and may, thus, be regarded as crucial elements in viral dissemination.

The structural variability of the external glycoproteins of primate immunodeficiency viruses, has, so far, been investigated exclusively by sequence comparison of the respective proviral genomes. We have examined the structural relationship amount the external glycoproteins from three specific human immunodeficiency viruses (HIF-1, HIV-2), three specific simian immunodeficiency viruses from macaques (SIVmac) and three specific SIV from African green monkeys (SIVagm) by peptide mapping. Differences among glycoproteins were most pronounced between HIV-1 and SIVmac, as well as HIV-2. Two specific glycoproteins from independent SIVagm isolates were closely related to HIV-1, whereas the glycoprotein from a third SIVagm isolate was more similar to those of SIVmac and HIV-2. Our analysis reflects the classification of primate immunodeficiency viruses into three groups, the HIV-2 and SIVmac viruses, the green monkey isolates and HIV-1.