Abstract
The switch from a Th1- to a Th2-type cytokine response is reported to be involved in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression. To study the effect of IL-6, one of the Th2-type cytokines, on AIDS pathogenesis, we constructed an SIV/HIV-1 chimeric virus (SHIV) having the human IL-6 gene (SHIV-IL6) SHIV-IL6 could replicate in M8166, a human T cell line, as well as in monkey and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Along with the SHIV-IL6 replication, IL-6 was detected in the culture supernatant by ELISA. The maximum level of IL-6 was 35, 15, and 8 ng/ml in M8166, human PBM Cs, and monkey PBM Cs, respectively. The expressed IL-6 was biologically active as shown by the proliferation of IL-6-dependent murine hybridoma (MH-60) cells. The inserted IL-6 gene was stable for at least four passages (45 days after the initial infection) in M 8166 cells, suggesting the ability to achieve stable expression of IL-6 in long-term experiments. Therefore, we successfully established an SHIV system expressing IL-6, and this is the first report of an SHIV expressing a Th2-type cytokine. With this system, IL-6 should be expressed in the regions where the virus replicates, and therefore the inoculation of macaque monkeys with SHIV-IL6 is expected to provide further information on the etiology of AIDS.
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