Simian-human immunodeficiency viruses(SHIVs)thatmirrornaturaltransmitted/founder(T/F)viruses
in manareneededforevaluationofHIV-1vaccinecandidatesinnonhumanprimates.Currentlyavailable
SHIVs containHIV-1 env genes fromchronically-infectedindividualsanddonotreflect thecharacter-
istics ofbiologicallyrelevantHIV-1strainsthatmediatehumantransmission.Wechosetodevelopclade
C SHIVs,ascladeCisthemajorinfectingsubtypeofHIV-1intheworld.Weconstructed10cladeCSHIVs
expressingEnvproteinsfromT/Fviruses.ThreeofthesetencladeCSHIVs(SHIVKB9C3,SHIVKB9C4
and SHIVKB9C5)replicatedinnaïverhesusmonkeys.ThesethreeSHIVsaremucosallytransmissible
and areneutralizedbysCD4andseveralHIV-1broadlyneutralizingantibodies.However,likenaturalT/F
viruses, theyexhibitlowEnvreactivityandaTier2neutralizationsensitivity.Ofnote,noneofthecladeC
T/F SHIVseliciteddetectableautologousneutralizingantibodiesintheinfectedmonkeys,eventhough
antibodies thatneutralizedaheterologousTier1HIV-1weregenerated.Challengewiththesethreenew
clade CSHIVswillprovidebiologicallyrelevanttestsforvaccineprotectioninrhesusmacaques