Biology of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and natural killer cells in HIV-1 infection

Mice with asthma are more resistant to influenza virus infection and NK cells activated by the induction of asthma have potentially protective effects

Purpose

This study was conducted in order to investigate whether the virulence of the influenza virus infection is affected by asthma in mice.

Methods

Mice with asthma or control mice were infected with influenza virus. The survival rate, body weight, virus titer, cytokine profile, and cell infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured. The NK cell cytotoxicity was determined by a co-culture system with YAC-1 cells, and the effects of NK cells were observed by depletion of NK cells using anti-asialoGM1 serum. The virus-specific CD8⁺ T cell killing assay was also performed.

Results

When asthmatic or control mice were infected with non- and sub-lethal doses of influenza virus, the asthmatic mice were more resistant to the virus than control mice with regard to the survival rate, the remission of body weight loss, and the virus burden. Anti-viral cytokines and the NK cell number were increased in the BALF of asthmatic mice before the infection. The NK cell cytotoxicity in the asthmatic mice was significantly enhanced compared to that in control mice, and the depletion of NK cells in asthmatic mice was abrogated both the improved survival rate and the recovery of the body weight loss. The antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cell killing activity in asthmatic mice was also significantly increased following the infection compared to that in control mice.

Conclusion

NK cell activated by the induction of asthma and the subsequently activated antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells could promptly eliminate the viral-infected cells, thus leading to improvements in the morbidity and mortality of influenza virus infection.

Innate immune responses in primary HIV-1 infection

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Events occurring in acute HIV-1 infection are now recognized to be critical determinants of the subsequent disease course. Innate responses constitute the first line of defence against pathogens, and also play a key role in triggering the early adaptive response; as such, the innate responses activated in acute HIV-1 infection and their contribution to control of viral replication or disease pathogenesis are the focus of much current research. We review recent advances in this area.

RECENT FINDINGS

Dendritic cell subsets can play pleiotropic roles in acute HIV-1 infection, with in-vitro studies illustrating that HIV-dendritic cell interactions may have outcomes as diverse as virion destruction, virus dissemination, T-cell triggering or subversion of dendritic cell functions. Natural killer cells can be activated in acute HIV-1 infection, and mounting evidence suggests that they contribute to determining the ensuing course of disease; however, much remains to be learned about how they mediate their effects.

SUMMARY

The importance of innate responses as determinants of the outcome of HIV infection is increasingly evident, but more work is needed to understand how innate immunity can be harnessed to combat this infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus viremia induces plasmacytoid dendritic cell activation in vivo and diminished alpha interferon production in vitro

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has been associated with perturbations of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC), including diminished frequencies in the peripheral blood and reduced production of type I interferons (IFNs) in response to in vitro stimulation. However, recent data suggest a paradoxical increase in production of type 1 interferons in vivo in HIV-infected patients compared to uninfected controls. Using a flow cytometric assay to detect IFN-alpha-producing cells within unseparated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, we observed that short-term interruptions of antiretroviral therapy are sufficient to result in significantly reduced IFN-alpha production by PDC in vitro in response to CpG A ligands or inactivated HIV particles. The primary cause of diminished IFN-alpha production was reduced responsiveness of PDC to de novo stimulation, not diminished per cell IFN-alpha production or migration of cells to lymphoid organs. Real-time PCR analysis of purified PDC from patients prior to and during treatment interruptions revealed that active HIV-1 replication is associated with upregulation of type I IFN-stimulated gene expression. Treatment of hepatitis C virus-infected patients with IFN-alpha2b and ribavirin for hepatitis C virus infection resulted in a profound suppression of de novo IFN-alpha production in response to CpG A or inactivated HIV particles, similar to the response observed in HIV-infected patients. Together, these results suggest that diminished production of type I interferons in vitro by PDC from HIV-1-infected patients may not represent diminished interferon production in vivo. Rather, diminished function in vitro is likely a consequence of prior activation via type I interferons or HIV virions in vivo.