Background: Understanding natural HIV control may lead to new preventative or therapeutic strategies. Several protective major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotypes were found in humans and rhesus macaques. Here, we report a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) controller MHC genotype in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCMs).
Methods: Twelve MHC-genotyped MCMs were infected with SIVmac251 and monitored for viral loads and CD4+ T-cell counts.
Results: Two macaques with M3M4 genotype exhibited the lowest peak viral loads (log plasma SIV RNA copies/mL), nearly 3 logs lower than those in most macaques with other MHC haplotype combinations, and set point viral loads below the level of detection limit by RT-qPCR (<2 log RNA copies/mL). They maintained healthy CD4+ T-cell counts of >500 cells/μL blood, while CD4 counts in the vast majority of other macaques were below this level.
Conclusions: The M3M4 MHC genotype may confer enhanced control of SIV replication in MCMs.
Keywords: HIV; M3/M4 genotype; cynomolgus macaque; haplotype; major histocompatibility complex; simian immunodeficiency virus.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.