HIV-1 infection of genetically engineered iPSC-derived central nervous system-engrafted microglia in a humanized mouse model

Abstract

ABSTRACT The central nervous system (CNS) is a major human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) reservoir. Microglia are the primary target cell of HIV-1 infection in the CNS. Current models have not allowed the precise molecular pathways of acute and chronic CNS microglial infection to be tested with in vivo genetic methods. Here, we describe a novel-humanized mouse model utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived microglia to xenograft into murine hosts. These mice are additionally engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells that serve as a medium to establish a peripheral infection that then spreads to the CNS microglia xenograft, modeling a trans-blood-brain barrier route of acute CNS HIV-1 infection with human target cells. The approach is compatible with iPSC genetic engineering, including inserting targeted transgenic reporter cassettes to track the xenografted human cells, enabling the testing of novel treatment and viral tracking strategies in a comparatively simple and cost-effective in vivo model for neuroHIV. IMPORTANCE Our mouse model is a powerful tool for investigating the genetic mechanisms governing central nervous system (CNS) human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection and latency in the CNS at a single-cell level. A major advantage of our model is that it uses induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia, which enables human genetics, including gene function and therapeutic gene manipulation, to be explored in vivo , which is more challenging to study with current hematopoietic stem cell-based models for neuroHIV. Our transgenic tracing of xenografted human cells will provide a quantitative medium to develop new molecular and epigenetic strategies for reducing the HIV-1 latent reservoir and to test the impact of therapeutic inflammation-targeting drug interventions on CNS HIV-1 latency.