Total RNA profiles of brain tissue in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection and SIV-related central nervous system pathology

Antiretroviral treatment regimens can effectively control HIV replication and some aspects of disease progression. However, molecular events in end-organ diseases such as central nervous system (CNS) disease are not yet fully understood, and routine eradication of latent reservoirs is not yet in reach. Regulatory RNAs have emerged as important participants in HIV disease pathogenesis. Using brain tissue from the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) model of HIV disease, we profiled messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), seeking to identify possible networks of RNA interaction in SIV infection and neuroinflammation. Postmortem occipital cortex tissue were collected from pigtailed macaques: uninfected controls and SIV-infected subjects (acute phase and chronic phase with or without CNS pathology). RNAs from tissue were used for total RNA sequencing to detect mRNA and circRNA levels.