Humanized NOWSCID/IL2Rγnull mice transplanted with hematopoietic stem cells under nomnyeloablative conditions show prolonged life spans and allow detailed analysis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 pathogenesis

In a previous study, we demonstrated that humanized NOD/SCID/IL2R gamma(null) (hNOG) mice constructed with human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) allow efficient human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. However, HIV-1 infection could be monitored for only 43 days in the animals due to their short life spans. By transplanting HSCs without any myeloablation methods, the mice successfully survived longer than 300 days with stable engraftment of human cells. The mice showed high viremia state for more than the 3 months examined, with systemic HIV-1 infection and gradual decrease of CD4(+) T cells analogous to that in humans. These capacities of the hNOG mice are very attractive for modeling mechanisms of AIDS progression and therapeutic strategy.