Cell Reports: How does HIV achieve sexual transmission?

Speaking of AIDS, everyone knows that it is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacking CD4+ lymphocytes in the human body
.

There are three main transmission routes: sexual transmission, mother-to-child transmission, and blood transmission .

In this process, the urethral mucosa is an important gateway for HIV to enter the human body
.

In fact, the urethra is the initial site of infection by many pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, cytomegalovirus, human papilloma virus, and herpes simplex virus

Regarding this issue, the sub-issue "Cell Reports" of the internationally renowned journal "Cell" published the title "Live Imaging of HIV-1 Transfer across T Cell Virological Synapse to Epithelial Cells that Promotes Stromal Macrophage Infection" by Morgane Bomsel's team at Paris Fifth University.
The research results of this study used video to record the process of HIV transmission
.

(DOI: 10.
1016/j.
celrep.
2018.
04.
028)

(DOI: 10.
1016/j.
celrep.
2018.
04.
028) (DOI: 10.
1016/j.
celrep.
2018.
04.
028)

In order to realize the dynamic observation of the human urethral mucosa and HIV, the researchers implanted CD4+ T cells on the polarized urethral epithelium reconstructed in vitro, and labeled the HIV virus with green fluorescent protein, and then used quantitative live imaging technology to perform Observe and master their interaction
.

(Illustration: CD4+ T cells infected by HIV-1)

(Label: HIV-1 infected CD4+ T cells) (Label: HIV-1 infected CD4+ T cells)

The video shows that when infected CD4+ T cells come into contact with epithelial cells, the HIV virus gathers between the two, then forms viral synapses and transfers to the surface of the epithelial cells
.

The researchers continued to track the shedding of fluorescently labeled viruses from viral synapses to epithelial cells.

(Illustration: HIV transfers from viral synapses to epithelial cells)

(Illustration: HIV transfers from viral synapses to epithelial cells) (Illustrated: HIV transfers from viral synapses to epithelial cells)

However, infected CD4+ T cells cannot pass the epithelial barrier.
How are macrophages infected? The researchers used viruses from uninfected cells to infect the mucosa in vitro, and found that the virus alone could not penetrate the epithelial cell layer to infect macrophages
.

Fluorescence tracking of epithelial cells and HIV-1 infected CD4+ T cells found that about one-third of the virus flashed to the submucosa

(Illustration: HIV virus infects macrophages)

(Label: HIV virus infects macrophages) (Label: HIV virus infects macrophages)

All in all, this research has recorded a breakthrough in the process of HIV infecting the human body through sexual transmission, providing an important basis for the development of drugs to block HIV transmission
.

This finding also directly pointed out the close relationship between HIV infection and macrophages.

Original source:

Original source:

Fernando RealAlexis SennepinYonatan Ganor, et al.

Live Imaging of HIV-1 Transfer across T Cell Virological Synapse to Epithelial Cells that Promotes Stromal Macrophage Infection in this message