INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN SIV INFECTION

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Although cell-mediated immunity is associated with viral control in HIV-infected humans and in the SIV/rhesus macaque animal model, we still do not exactly know what allows some HIV-exposed individuals to resist infection, HIV-infected patients to remain disease free for several years, or the type of immunity needed for vaccine-mediated protection against disease. The outcome of a pathogen-host interaction seems to depend mainly on events that occur at times of the initial contact, and signals and cytokines produced by the innate immune system affect the actions of the adaptive immune system. Our hypothesis is that both arms of the immune system participate in the initial containment of viral replication and in vaccine protection. We will demonstrate the role of the innate and adaptive immune systems during chronic infection with SIV in rhesus macaques. These studies will determine if changes in immune cells, or production of virus-specific anti-inflammatory cytokines are associated with disease progression during chronic infection.