HIV-1 Infection Of Human Macrophages Research Articles

58: IL-27 inhibits HIV-1 infection in human macrophages by down-regulating host factor SPTBN1 during monocyte to macrophage differentiation

Macrophages represent a major target and viral reservoir of HIV-1 infection. The susceptibility of macrophages to HIV-1 infection is modulated during monocyte differentiation. IL-27 is an antiviral cytokine which also plays a role in monocyte activation. Here, we present new evidence that IL-27 promotes monocyte differentiation into macrophages that are non-permissive for HIV-1 infection. While IL-27 treatment does not affect expression of macrophage differentiation markers or macrophage biological functions, it confers HIV resistance by down-regulating SPTBN1, a required host factor for HIV-1 infection. IL-27 down-regulates SPTBN1 during monocyte differentiation through a TAK-1-mediated MAPK signaling pathway. Knockdown of SPTBN1 strongly inhibits HIV-1 infection of macrophages; conversely, overexpression of SPTBN1 markedly increases HIV susceptibility of IL-27 treated macrophages. Moreover, we demonstrate that SPTBN1 associates with HIV-1 gag proteins. Collectively, our results underscore the ability of IL-27 to protect macrophages from HIV-1 infection by down-regulating SPTBN1 during monocyte to macrophage differentiation without altering other macrophage biological functions, thus indicating IL-27 as a potential immunotherapeutic reagent to prevent HIV-1 infection.

IL-27 inhibits HIV-1 infection in human macrophages by down-regulating host factor SPTBN1 during monocyte to macrophage differentiation.

The susceptibility of macrophages to HIV-1 infection is modulated during monocyte differentiation. IL-27 is an anti-HIV cytokine that also modulates monocyte activation. In this study, we present new evidence that IL-27 promotes monocyte differentiation into macrophages that are nonpermissive for HIV-1 infection. Although IL-27 treatment does not affect expression of macrophage differentiation markers or macrophage biological functions, it confers HIV resistance by down-regulating spectrin β nonerythrocyte 1 (SPTBN1), a required host factor for HIV-1 infection. IL-27 down-regulates SPTBN1 through a TAK-1-mediated MAPK signaling pathway. Knockdown of SPTBN1 strongly inhibits HIV-1 infection of macrophages; conversely, overexpression of SPTBN1 markedly increases HIV susceptibility of IL-27-treated macrophages. Moreover, we demonstrate that SPTBN1 associates with HIV-1 gag proteins. Collectively, our results underscore the ability of IL-27 to protect macrophages from HIV-1 infection by down-regulating SPTBN1, thus indicating that SPTBN1 is an important host target to reduce HIV-1 replication in one major element of the viral reservoir.

HIV-1 Resistant CDK2-Knockdown Macrophage-Like Cells Generated from 293T Cell-Derived Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

A major challenge in studies of human diseases involving macrophages is low yield and heterogeneity of the primary cells and limited ability of these cells for transfections and genetic manipulations. To address this issue, we developed a simple and efficient three steps method for somatic 293T cells reprogramming into monocytes and macrophage-like cells. First, 293T cells were reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through a transfection-mediated expression of two factors, Oct-4 and Sox2, resulting in a high yield of iPSC. Second, the obtained iPSC were differentiated into monocytes using IL-3 and M-CSF treatment. And third, monocytes were differentiated into macrophage-like cells in the presence of M-CSF. As an example, we developed HIV-1-resistant macrophage-like cells from 293T cells with knockdown of CDK2, a factor critical for HIV-1 transcription. Our study provides a proof-of-principle approach that can be used to study the role of host cell factors in HIV-1 infection of human macrophages.

HIV-1 infection of human macrophages directly induces viperin which inhibits viral production

AbstractMacrophages are key target cells for HIV-1. HIV-1BaL induced a subset of interferon-stimulated genes in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs), which differed from that in monocyte-derived dendritic cells and CD4 T cells, without inducing any interferons. Inhibition of type I interferon induction was mediated by HIV-1 inhibition of interferon-regulated factor (IRF3) nuclear translocation. In MDMs, viperin was the most up-regulated interferon-stimulated genes, and it significantly inhibited HIV-1 production. HIV-1 infection disrupted lipid rafts via viperin induction and redistributed viperin to CD81 compartments, the site of HIV-1 egress by budding in MDMs. Exogenous farnesol, which enhances membrane protein prenylation, reversed viperin-mediated inhibition of HIV-1 production. Mutagenesis analysis in transfected cell lines showed that the internal S-adenosyl methionine domains of viperin were essential for its antiviral activity. Thus viperin may contribute to persistent noncytopathic HIV-1 infection of macrophages and possibly to biologic differences with HIV-1–infected T cells.

Adding Fuel to the Fire: Methamphetamine Enhances HIV Infection

This Commentary examines the ability of methamphetamine to enhance HIV-1 infection in human macrophages, shedding new light on the drug's role in augmenting HIV-1 replication and immunopathogenesis.

HIV-1 infection of human macrophages impairs phagocytosis and killing of Toxoplasma gondii.

The susceptibility of patients with AIDS to certain opportunistic infections is due to defective cell-mediated immunity. The contribution of direct infection of macrophages with HIV-1 to this defect is unknown. To address this issue, we infected normal human monocyte-derived macrophages with a monocytotropic strain of HIV-1 and examined their ability to phagocytose and kill the opportunistic pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii. Phagocytosis of heat-killed T. gondii was reduced in HIV-infected macrophages compared with mock-infected controls. Opsonization of heat-killed T. gondii increased phagocytosis by both mock- and HIV-infected macrophages, but phagocytosis in HIV-infected cultures remained lower than in controls. Internalization of live T. gondii by macrophages was unaffected by HIV infection. Intracellular replication of live T. gondii was enhanced by HIV infection, as shown in four experiments, each using monocyte-derived macrophages from a different donor. Treatment of HIV-infected macrophages with IFN-gamma decreased parasite replication but not to control levels. These findings suggest that infection of macrophages by HIV may be a contributing factor to the reactivation of T. gondii infection in patients with AIDS.

IL-10 is induced during HIV-1 infection and is capable of decreasing viral replication in human macrophages.

IL-10 has been shown to be capable of down-regulating several aspects of macrophage function. This study was undertaken to define the association between IL-10 and HIV-1 infection in human macrophages. Infection of macrophages with a monocytotropic strain of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-BaL, resulted in expression of IL-10 mRNA within 3 to 12 h after infection, as determined by the reverse transcriptase PCR. Biologically active IL-10 was detected in supernatants from HIV-1-infected macrophages as early as 12 h post-infection. The addition of human rIL-10 to HIV-1-infected macrophage cultures resulted in a significant decrease in the viral replication. In addition, exogenous IL-10 blocked the ability of TNF-alpha to elevate viral replication. To determine whether IL-10 was associated with in vivo infection, lymph nodes from AIDS patients were examined for the presence of IL-10 mRNA by using PCR. IL-10 mRNA was evident in all lymph node tissue examined, but was absent in normal lymph node biopsies. These in vitro and in vivo findings demonstrate a strong and heterogeneous association between HIV-1 infection and IL-10.