Circulating IL-21 levels increase during early simian-human immunodeficiency virus infection in macaques
Chang-Cheng Zhao1, Jing Xue, Zhe Cong
1Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Comparative Medical Center, No.5 Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang Dist, 100021, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
The cytokine interleukin-21 (IL-21) regulates viral pathogenesis in individuals infected with human and simian immunodeficiency viruses. However, because the time of initial infection with HIV in humans is rarely known, the dynamics of IL-21 production during the first weeks have not been adequately explored. In the present study, we used rhesus macaques to model the first stages of infection. Twenty-two rhesus macaques were infected rectally with simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-1157ipd3N4, and for 12 weeks, replication of the virus, the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and the levels of plasma IL-21 were monitored. Our study demonstrated that plasma levels of IL-21 increased during the early phase of SHIV infection when compared with the values observed before inoculation. We conclude that IL-21 has a likely role in the immunopathogenesis of HIV/SIV/SHIV.
