CD8+ Cell Depletion Accelerates HIV-1 Immunopathology in Humanized Mice

Abstract

Stable engraftment of human lymphoid tissue in NOD/scid–IL-2Rγcnull mice after CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell reconstitution permits the evaluation of ongoing HIV-1 infection for weeks to months. We demonstrate that HIV-1–infected rodents develop virus-specific cellular immune responses. CD8+ cell depletion, 2 or 5–7 wk after viral infection, resulted in a significant increase of HIV-1 load, robust immune cell activation, and cytopathology in lymphoid tissues but preserved CD4/CD8 double-positive thymic T cell pools. Human CD8+ cells reappeared in circulation as early as 2–3 wk. These data support a role of CD8+ cells in viral surveillance and the relevance of this humanized mouse model for the studies of HIV-1 pathobiology and virus-specific immunity.