Constitutive expression of stromal derived factor-1 by mucosal epithelia and its role in HIV transmission and propagation

International audienceHIV particles that use the chemokine receptor CXCR4 as a coreceptor for entry into cells (X4-HIV) inefficiently transmit infection across mucosal surfaces [1], despite their presence in seminal fluid and mucosal secretions from infected individuals 2, 3, 4. In addition, although intestinal lymphocytes are susceptible to infection with either X4-HIV particles or particles that use the chemokine receptor CCR5 for viral entry (R5-HIV) during ex vivo culture [5], only systemic inoculation of R5-chimeric simian-HIV (S-HIV) results in a rapid loss of CD4+ intestinal lymphocytes in macaques [6]. The mechanisms underlying the inefficient capacity of X4-HIV to transmit infection across mucosal surfaces and to infect intestinal lymphocytes in vivo have remained elusive. The CCR5 ligands RANTES, MIP-1α and MIP-1β suppress infection by R5-HIV-1 particles via induction of CCR5 internalization, and individuals whose peripheral blood lymphocytes produce high levels of these chemokines are relatively resistant to infection 7, 8, 9. Here, we show that the CXCR4 ligand stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is constitutively expressed by mucosal epithelial cells at sites of HIV transmission and propagation. Furthermore, CXCR4 is selectively downmodulated on intestinal lymphocytes within the setting of prominent SDF-1 expression. We postulate that mucosally derived SDF-1 continuously downmodulates CXCR4 on resident HIV target cells, thereby reducing the transmission and propagation of X4 HIV at mucosal sites. Moreover, such a mechanism could contribute to the delayed emergence of X4 isolates, which predominantly occurs during the later stages of the HIV infection