Regulatory pathway underpinning the development of encephalitis after simian immunodeficiency virus infection in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

BACKGROUND

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) can lead to the development of SIV encephalitis (SIVE), which is closely related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced dementia.

METHODS

This was done by analyzing SIV and SIVE encephalitis in infected M. mulatta hippocampus samples from two microarray data sets, identifying two groups of common differentially expressed genes and predicting associated protein interactions.

RESULTS

We found that eight genes-MX1, B2M, IFIT1, TYMP, STAT1, IFI44, ISG15, and IFI27-affected the negative regulation of biological processes, hepatitis C and Epstein-Barr viral infection, and the toll-like receptor signaling pathway, which mediate the development of encephalitis after SIV infection. In particular, STAT1 played a central role in the process by regulating biopathological changes during the development of SIVE.

CONCLUSION

These findings provide a new theoretical basis for the treatment of encephalopathy after HIV infection by targeting STAT1.