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Updated: May 19, 2026

siRNA Electroporation to Modulate Autophagy in Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1-Infected Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells
Published on: October 28, 2019
Autophagy induction by vitamin D inhibits both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus type 1
Grant R Campbell1, Stephen A Spector
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Low vitamin D levels in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) infected persons are associated with more rapid disease progression and increased risk for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. We report that physiological concentrations of 1α,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25D3), the active form of vitamin D, inhibits M. tuberculosis and HIV replication in co-infected macrophages through human cathelicidin microbial peptide-dependent autophagy that requires phagosomal maturation. These findings provide a biological explanation for the importance of vitamin D sufficiency in HIV and M. tuberculosis-infected persons, and provide new insights into novel approaches to prevent and treat HIV infection and related opportunistic infections.
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