Langerhans cells and sexual transmission of HIV and HSV

Langerhans cells (LCs) situated in stratified squamous epithelium of the skin and mucosal tissue are amongst the first cells that sexually transmitted pathogens encounter during transmission. They are potent antigen presenting cells and play a key role in the host mounting an appropriate immune response. As such, viruses have evolved complex strategies to manipulate these cells to facilitate successful transmission. One of best studied examples is HIV, which manipulates the natural function of these cells to interact with CD4 T cells, which are the main target cell for HIV in which rapid replication occurs. However, there is controversy in the literature as to the role that LCs play in this process. Langerhans cells also play a key role in the way the body mounts an immune response to HSV, and there is also a complex interplay between the transmission of HSV and HIV that involves LCs. In this article, we review both past and present literatures with a particular focus on a few very recent studies that shed new light on the role that LCs play in the transmission and immune response to these 2 pathogens.