archives@tulane.edu / Background: Individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) exhibit high levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines and proteins, which are strongly correlated with shortened time to death and disease. To target damaging inflammation at the source, the drivers of inflammation must be identified. Adipose tissue is a massive organ that contains adipocytes and immune cells capable of producing pro-inflammatory mediators. Dysregulated adipose tissue is implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, that are likewise reported in persons with chronic HIV infection. Adipose tissue was therefore explored as a contributor to circulating inflammation in patients with HIV using the rhesus macaque model. Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) closely models HIV regarding pathogenesis, including CD4+ T cell depletion, induction of a viral reservoir, and development of opportunistic infections before succumbing to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and death.
Methods: Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SQAT) from SIV-infected rhesus macaques was characterized using confocal microscopy to describe the major immune cell subsets. Adipose tissue homogenates and plasma were analyzed for expression of genes and proteins related to inflammatory processes using antibody and RNA-based fluorescent multiplex bead technology for protein and gene quantitation, respectively. The functions of adipose tissue immune cells during SIV infection were measured with stimulation and phagocytosis assays. / 1 / Marissa Fahlberg
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_110475 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Contributors | Fahlberg, Marissa D. (author), Didier, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor), Kuroda, Marcelo (Thesis advisor), School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine Epidemiology (Degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | electronic, pages: 172 |
| Rights | No embargo, Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law. |
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