Gene expression profiling data from sooty mangabeys treated with interferon alpha

In contrast to pathogenic HIV and SIV infection of humans and macaques, SIV infection of sooty mangabeys (SMs) is typically non-pathogenic despite high virus replication. A key feature of primary SIV infection of SMs is a strong type I interferon (IFN-I) response, characterized by massive up-regulation of interferon-stimulated genes (ISG), followed by rapid resolution during the acute-to-chronic phase transition and establishment of an immune quiescent state that persists throughout the chronic infection. Based on these observations we hypothesized that low levels of IFN-I signaling may be instrumental in preventing chronic immune activation and disease progression in SIV-infected SMs. We used microarrays to characterize gene expression changes induced by IFNalpha treatment. To directly assess the effects of an experimentally-induced augmentation of IFN-I signaling in chronically SIV-infected SMs, we administered recombinant rhesus macaque IFNalpha2-IgFc (rmIFNα2) to eight naturally SIV-infected SMs weekly for 16 weeks and longitudinally monitored viral load, lymphocyte counts, immune activation, SIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses, and gene expression profile. Administration of rmIFNα2 was bioactive in vivo with gene expression profiling revealing a strong upregulation of numerous ISGs in the blood of treated animals.