IMPACT OF MHC CLASS-I GENE ON RESISTANCE TO MURINE AIDS

Development of murine AIDS in mice following infection with LP-BM5 mur ine leukaemia virus (MuLV) is highly strain dependent, with strain dif ferences determind by genes within and outside H-2. Among H-2 genes, t he D-d gene is the most closely associated with resistance to LP-BMS M uLV infection. However, the D-d-mediated resistance is highly influenc ed by outside H-2 genes, i.e. A lineage strains are more resistant tha n mice strains of B6/B10 lineage. In this study, the mice having BALB background were analysed and, similarly to A lineage mice, only D-d ge ne products were found to be required to provide resistance to LP-BMS MuLV infection, Furthermore, BALB/c Kh mice bearing both D-d and L(d) genes clearly showed obviously higher resistance than BALB/c-H-2(dm2) mice solely having the D-d gene, In addition, in the long-term observa tion of the effect of the D-d gene on B6/B10 background mice, D8 mice having the D-d gene as a transgene and expressing a high level D-d gen e product showed higher resistance than naturally recombinant B10.A(18 R) mice. These results suggest that the MAIDS resistance associated wi th the D end loci is dependent on the level of expression of an MHC cl ass I gene.