Abstract
Exosomes are endosomal‐derived membrane‐confined nanovesicles secreted by many (if not all) cell types and isolated from every human bodily fluid examined up to now including plasma, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk. Exosomes are thought to represent a new player in cell‐to‐cell communication pathways and immune regulation, and be involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Susceptibility to HIV‐1 infection can be impacted by exosomes, while HIV‐1 pathogenesis can alter exosomal function and composition. Exosomes isolated from semen and vaginal fluid of healthy individuals can inhibit HIV‐1 infection and/or potently block viral transfer in vitro. However, the role of exosomes in HIV‐1 transmission and progression is not fully understood yet and some studies show conflicting results, mainly for exosomes isolated from plasma and breast milk. Determining the composition of exosomes from infected donors and studying their interaction with HIV‐1 in vitro compared to exosomes isolated from uninfected donors will provide insights into the role exosomes play in HIV‐1 transmission during sexual intercourse and breastfeeding.
Highlights
Exosomes, small extracellular nanovesicles (30–100 nm) were first discovered few decades ago (Harding, Heuser, & Stahl, 1983; Pan & Johnstone, 1983)
Since there is considerable overlap in the cellular generation of enveloped viruses and exosomes (Gould, Booth, & Hildreth, 2003; Madison & Okeoma, 2015), another hypothesis is that HIV‐1 triggers alterations in Seminal exosome (SE) composition and signalling. These phenotypic changes may promote a cascade of functional ef‐ fects, such as increased cytokine expression and target cell activa‐ tion, with decreased dendritic cells (DC) maturation, which collectively compromise the induction of a protective immune response and promote HIV‐1 infection in the female genital mucosa
Exosomes mediate important cell‐to‐cell communication and, in HIV‐1 infection, this occurs through the exosomal delivery of the viral and host molecules, which vary greatly depending on their cel‐ lular source
Summary
Small extracellular nanovesicles (30–100 nm) were first discovered few decades ago (Harding, Heuser, & Stahl, 1983; Pan & Johnstone, 1983). Plasma exosomes isolated from healthy, HIV‐1‐negative donors did not impact HIV‐1 infection of monocyte‐ derived dendritic cells or HIV‐1 transfer from those cells to CD4+
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