Fig. 2.

BST2 mRNA and protein expression in uninfected and SIVmac251-infected macaques. Representative flow cytometric analyses of BST2 surface expression of an uninfected animal shown as histogram for leukocyte populations (a) and histogram for lymphocyte subsets including a fluorescence minus one (FMO) control (b). BST2 surface expression, displayed as median fluorescence intensity (MFI) on all leukocytes (c), on CD4⁺ lymphocytes (e) and on CD14⁺ monocytes (g) is illustrated for 12 uninfected and 32 SIVmac251 infected animals at 24 wpi. Box plots depict median and quartiles while whiskers show range. Group comparisons were calculated using two-tailed Mann–Whitney’s U test. d Whole blood BST2 mRNA levels correlate with BST2 surface protein expression. BST2 mRNA levels are depicted as copy numbers per 100 copies of GAPDH. BST2 surface expression on CD4⁺ lymphocytes (f) and CD14⁺ monocytes (h) correlates with plasma viral load. Each data point represents one individual animal. Regression lines are depicted; r Spearman’s correlation coefficient; p, p value