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 le ukemia virus (MuLV), all of which were pseudotyped,vith the vesicular stoma titis virus (VSV) G glycoprotein, the efficiency of postentry, early infect ion events was examined in target cells of several mammalian species. Titer s of HIV-1 vectors were significantly lower than those of SIVmac and MuLV v ectors in most cell lines and primary cells from Old World monkeys. By cont rast, most New World monkey cells exhibited much lower titers for the SIVma c vector compared with those of the HTV-1 vector. Prosimian cells were resi stant to both HIV-1 and SIVmac vectors, although the MuLV vector was able t o infect these cells. Cells from other mammalian species were roughly equiv alent 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 immunodeficie ncy virus infection exhibits patterns largely coincident with species borde rs and applies to diverse cell types within an individual host, suggesting the involvement of species-specific, widely expressed cellular factors.