Li, HongzhaoLi, LinLiu, LewisOmange, WereToledo, NikkiKashem, MohammadHai, YanLiang, BinhuaPlummer, FrancisLuo, Ma2021-08-122021-08-122018-02-282021-08-12Li H, Li L, Liu LR, Omange RW, Toledo N, Kashem MA, Hai Y, Liang B, Plummer FA, Luo M. Hypothetical endogenous SIV-like antigens in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques. Bioinformation. 2018 Feb 28;14(2):48-52. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc5879946/PMCID: PMC5879946http://hdl.handle.net/1993/35799Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCMs) is an increasingly important nonhuman primate model for HIV vaccine research. We previously reported that in MCMs anti-SIV antibodies can be naturally developed without exogenous infection or vaccination, and that a vaccine targeting SIV protease cleavage sites (PCS) can cross-induce antibodies to non-PCS SIV antigens. We speculate that this is potentially caused by the existence of endogenous SIV-like antigens. External stimuli (such as environmental factors and vaccination) may induce expression of endogenous SIV-like antigens to elicit these antibodies. Database and mass spectrometry analyses were conducted to search for such antigens. We identified endogenous SIV-like DNA sequences in cynomolgus macaque genome and non-PCS peptide homologous to SIV Env protein in PBMCs of a PCS-vaccinated monkey. Our preliminary insights suggest that endogenous SIV-like antigens may be one of the possible reasons for the natural and cross-inducible SIV antibodies in MCMs.engSIVMauritian cynomolgus macaquesHIVvaccineprotease cleavage sites (PCS)non-PCSdatabaseArticle10.6026/97320630014048