Grant: Operating Grant - PA: HIV/AIDS Research Initiative - Biomedical/Clinical Stream

Kidney disease is a relatively frequent manifestation of HIV-1 infection in individuals of African origin and is designated HIV-1 associated nephropathy (HIVAN). It progresses rapidly and leads to end stage renal failure. It is thought to be induced by HIV-1 itself. The kidney lesions in HIVAN are very special and are only seen in other relatively rare genetic forms of kidney disease. Over the last few years, we have generated a mouse model of AIDS by expressing HIV-1 genes in mice. These mice develop all the immune manifestations of AIDS, such as loss of T cells. They also develop HIVAN very similar to human HIVAN. We plan to use this mouse model to understand how HIVAN develops; which kidney cells express host genes affecting HIV-1; what are the consequences of expression of these genes in different kidney cells; what are the main genes controlling the development of HIVAN; and is there genetic ways to block the development of this disease, etc. We believe this unique model reflects the human disease very well and its likely to be instrumental in providing answers to the above questions and to give us very good insights on how this disease occurs in this context.