ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES IN FIV INFECTION

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DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the application) Critical to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV-associated lung disease is an animal lentivirus model that parallels HIV-associated immunodeficiency. Evidence suggests that the feline AIDS-causing lentivirus, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) causes serious pulmonary immunodeficiency characterized by increased susceptibility to Toxoplasma gondii pneumonia. The proposed research will employ the use of FIV for examining the defects in alveolar macrophage (AM) function. The application describes experiments designed to test two hypotheses: first, that the constitutive level of activation of AM from HIV/FIV patients is a direct result of viral infection of the AM independent of lymphokine conditioning; secondly, that HIV/FIV infection inhibits an autocrine interferon (IFN)-gamma loop necessary to prime AM for IL-12 production. a. Career Development Plan: The plan consists of two phases. During the first Phase, Dr. Ritchey will complete his Ph.D. training. He entered the Ph.D. program in July of 1993, and has completed the didactic training as well as the preliminary examination. In phase two (years three and four), Dr. Ritchey will remain at North Carolina State University, in a postdoctoral position. b. Research Plan: Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) will be used to examine the defects in alveolar macrophage (AM) function. Experiments are planned to test two hypotheses: first, that the constitutive level of activation of AM from HIV/FIV patients is a direct result of viral infection of the AM independent of lymphokine conditioning; secondly, that HIV/FIV infection inhibits an autocrine IFN-gamma loop necessary to prime AM for IL-12 production. Studies during the first three years of this program will test these hypotheses by evaluating cytokine expression patterns of AM collected in a temporal fashion following in vivo FIV infection. The last year of this research will correlate the results of the in vitro studies with in vivo challenge of FIV-infected cats with T. gondii.