In murine AIDS, B cells are early targets of defective virus and are required for efficient infection and expression of defective virus in T cells and macrophages.

Previous studies showed that B cells and CD4+ T cells are required for induction of a murine retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency syndrome, murine AIDS. Using B6 mice deficient in mature B cells as a result of a knockout of the transmembrane exon of the immunoglobulin M gene, we found that spleen and other tissues from murine AIDS virus-infected mice did not express the defective virus (BM5def) required for induction of disease, even though helper viruses were readily detectable and BM5def proviral DNA was present. This indicates that the B-lineage cells are the primary targets for infection and expression of the defective virus and that in the absence of mature B cells, there is inefficient infection of T cells and macrophages.