Semen Protects CD4+ Target Cells from HIV Infection but Promotes the Preferential Transmission of R5 Tropic HIV
Open Access
- 15 December 2010
- journal article
- Published by The American Association of Immunologists
- Vol. 185 (12), 7596-7604
- https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1002846
Abstract
Sexual intercourse is the major means of HIV transmission, yet the impact of semen on HIV infection of CD4+ T cells remains unclear. To resolve this conundrum, we measured CD4+ target cell infection with X4 tropic HIV IIIB and HC4 and R5 tropic HIV BaL and SF162 after incubation with centrifuged seminal plasma (SP) from HIV-negative donors and assessed the impact of SP on critical determinants of target cell susceptibility to HIV infection. We found that SP potently protects CD4+ T cells from infection with X4 and R5 tropic HIV in a dose- and time-dependent manner. SP caused a diminution in CD4+ T cell surface expression of the HIVR CD4 and enhanced surface expression of the HIV coreceptor CCR5. Consequently, SP protected CD4+ T cells from infection with R5 tropic HIV less potently than it protected CD4+ T cells from infection with X4 tropic HIV. SP also reduced CD4+ T cell activation and proliferation, and the magnitude of SP-mediated suppression of target cell CD4 expression, activation, and proliferation correlated closely with the magnitude of the protection of CD4+ T cells from infection with HIV. Taken together, these data show that semen protects CD4+ T cells from HIV infection by restricting critical determinants of CD4+ target cell susceptibility to HIV infection. Further, semen contributes to the selective transmission of R5 tropic HIV to CD4+ target cells.Keywords
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