DC contact with HIV‐1‐infected cells leads to high levels of Env‐mediated virion endocytosis coupled with enhanced HIV‐1 Ag presentation |
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| Authors: | Claudia Muratori Roberta Bona Eliana Ruggiero Gabriella D'Ettorre Vincenzo Vullo Mauro Andreotti Maurizio Federico |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Pathogenesis of Retroviruses, National AIDS Center, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy;2. Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy;3. Department of Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy |
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| Abstract: | In HIV‐infected patients, DC are likely to interact with both cell‐free HIV and HIV‐infected cells. We were interested in investigating the mechanism of virus transmission occurring upon contact between HIV‐1‐infected cells and DC, as well as the consequences for HIV‐1 Ag‐presenting activity. By comparing mixed co‐cultures with trans‐well cultures, we observed that cell‐to‐cell contact strongly increased HIV‐1 Env‐mediated virion endocytosis in target DC. This endocytosis was independent of HIV‐1 tropism, de novo infection, HIV‐1 Env‐CD4‐dependent fusion, and immature DC activation/maturation. We also found that augmentation of HIV‐1 endocytosis was closely correlated with strong, Env‐dependent HIV‐1 Ag presentation by DC. Our results provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the induction of the anti‐HIV adaptive immune response. |
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| Keywords: | Ag presentation Cell‐to‐cell HIV transmission DC Endocytosis HIV‐1 Env |
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