Species-specific, postentry barriers to primate immunodeficiency virus infection

By using replication defective vectors derived from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVmac), and murine leukemia virus (MuLV), all of which were pseudotyped,vith the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G glycoprotein, the efficiency of postentry, early infection events was examined in target cells of several mammalian species. Titers of HIV-1 vectors were significantly lower than those of SIVmac and MuLV vectors in most cell lines and primary cells from Old World monkeys. By contrast, most New World monkey cells exhibited much lower titers for the SIVmac vector compared with those of the HTV-1 vector. Prosimian cells were resistant to both HIV-1 and SIVmac vectors, although the MuLV vector was able to infect these cells. Cells from other mammalian species were roughly equivalent in susceptibility to the three vectors, with, the exception of rabbit cells, which were specifically resistant to the HIV-1 vector. The level of HIV-1 vector expression was very low in transduced cells of rodent, rabbit, cow, and pig origin. Early postentry restriction of primate immunodeficiency virus infection exhibits patterns largely coincident with species borders and applies to diverse cell types within an individual host, suggesting the involvement of species-specific, widely expressed cellular factors.