Keywords

Natural Killer cells; Alternative Gene Splicing; SIV; TIGIT; TIM-3; Rhesus macaque

Abstract

Natural killer cells play a critical role in the innate immune response against Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus infections. During HIV/SIV infection, NK cells undergo functional impairment characterized by an imbalance between activating and inhibitory surface receptors. The upregulation of inhibitory receptors, TIGIT and TIM-3, has proven to contribute to NK cell exhaustion during different retroviral infections. Although alternative splicing regulates immunity related genes, its role in TIGIT and TIM-3 expression during SIV infection remains poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize alternative splicing patterns of TIGIT and TIM-3 and evaluate transcript variant expression during SIV infection in rhesus macaques using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Analysis of TIGIT identified the expected transcript and additional PCR products, suggesting a novel splice variant requiring further validation by Sanger sequencing, with some differences in expression observed among SIV-infected samples which would need further studying. In contrast, TIM-3 amplification detected only the expected transcript, with no evidence of additional isoforms. These findings suggest limited alternative splicing of TIM-3 under the conditions examined, while TIGIT may possess an additional transcript variant that warrants further investigation.

Thesis Completion Year

2026

Thesis Completion Semester

Summer

Thesis Chair

Ram, Daniel

College

College of Medicine

Department

Immunity and Pathogenesis

Thesis Discipline

Immunology

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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