STLV-1 GENETIC DIVERSITY IN CAYO SANTIAGO RHESUS MACAQUES

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。自然产生的猿类T细胞嗜淋巴细胞（STLV-I）病毒株已从旧大陆的非人灵长类动物（包括：非洲绿猴、恒河猴、黑白嘴猴和狒狒）中鉴定和分离出来。Sariol Curbelo博士于1938年在波多黎各圣地亚哥岛建立了一个独特的自由放养恒河猴群体，该群体是加勒比灵长类动物研究中心的一部分，经血清学研究表明，感染STLV-1的恒河猴比例很高。我们开始进行分子研究，以评估该动物种群中stlv的多样性。血清学阳性动物血样送TNPRC分离外周血单个核细胞（PBMC）及其细胞DNA。这些dna通过PCR扩增到STLV-I包膜（env）和LTR，进行核苷酸测序，并与已知HTLV-I和STLV-I分离株进行系统发育比较。前几个STLV-I病毒分离株的env序列比较，聚集在一起，与其他猕猴分离株接近，但与其他旧大陆灵长类动物家族不同。我们正在继续和扩展这些研究，进一步表征每个分离物的核苷酸序列并进行系统发育比较。

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. Naturally occurring simian T cell lymphotropic (STLV-I) virus strains have been identified and isolated from Old World, nonhuman primates and include: African green monkeys, rhesus macaques, sooty mangabey monkeys, and baboons. A unique free ranging rhesus macaque colony at Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, established in 1938 and a part of the Carribean Primate Research Center was shown serologically, by Dr. Sariol Curbelo, to have a high percentage of the animals that were infected with STLV-1. We began molecular studies to evaluate the diversity of STLVs within this population of animals. Blood samples from serologically positive animals were sent to TNPRC for isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and their cellular DNA. These DNAs were amplified by PCR for both STLV-I envelope (env) and LTR, nucleotide sequencing conducted, and phylogenetic comparisons with known HTLV-I and STLV-I isolates made. The comparisons of the first few STLV-I virus isolates for env sequences, clustered together and near to other Macaca mulatta isolates, but distinct from other Old World primate families. We are continuing and extending these studies with further characterization of nucleotide sequences of each isolate and making phylogenetic comparisons.