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Updated: May 14, 2026
In Vitro Assay to Evaluate the Impact of Immunoregulatory Pathways on HIV-specific CD4 T Cell Effector Function
Published on: October 15, 2013
Effects of HIV-1-induced CD1c and CD1d modulation and endogenous lipid presentation on CD1c-restricted T-cell
Halonna Kelly1, Rajakumar Mandraju, Jordana G A Coelho-dos-Reis
1HIV and Malaria Vaccine Program, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Affiliate of The Rockefeller University, 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Background:
It has been shown that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection induces the production of endogenous lipids required for effective viral production, and the cluster of differentiation (CD)1 molecule CD1d is downregulated by HIV-1 infection. However, the role of endogenous lipid presentation and the implications of CD1 downregulation by HIV-1 infection have not yet been characterized.
Results:
In this study, we observed downregulation of both CD1c and CD1d expression through a Vpu-dependent and Nef-independent mechanism, and the concomitant HIV-1-induced production of host cholesterol decreased the extent of CD1c and CD1d modulation. While the modest downregulation of CD1c by HIV-1 infection decreased the ability of CD1c-restricted T cells to respond and secrete interferon-γ, the cholesterol upregulation in the same cells by HIV-1 infection appears to limit the downregulation of CD1c.
Conclusions:
The two conflicting HIV-1-mediated changes in CD1c expression appear to minimize the modulation of CD1c expression, thus leading the host to maintain a CD1c-restricted T-cell response against HIV-1.
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