Cellular microRNA expression correlates with susceptibility of monocytes/macrophages to HIV-1 infection

• Published in: Blood Vol. 113; no. 3; pp. 671 - 674
• Main Authors: Wang, Xu, Ye, Li, Hou, Wei, Zhou, Yu, Wang, Yan-Jian, Metzger, David S., Ho, Wen-Zhe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Elsevier Inc 15.01.2009; Americain Society of Hematology; American Society of Hematology
• Series: Phagocytes, Granulocytes, and Myelopoiesis
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Disease Susceptibility - virology; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; HIV Infections - genetics; HIV-1 - pathogenicity; HIV-1 - physiology; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Macrophages - virology; Medical sciences; MicroRNAs - biosynthesis; Monocytes - virology; Phagocytes, Granulocytes, and Myelopoiesis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Transfection; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Virus Replication; Immunopathology; RNA interference; Hematology; Monocyte; HIV-1 virus; Micro RNA; Retroviridae; AIDS; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; Infection; Virus; Gene silencing; Viral disease; Human immunodeficiency virus; Macrophage
• ISSN: 0006-4971; 1528-0020
• DOI: 10.1182/blood-2008-09-175000

Although both monocytes and macrophages possess essential requirements for HIV-1 entry, peripheral blood monocytes are infrequently infected with HIV-1 in vivo and in vitro. In contrast, tissue macrophages and monocyte-derived macrophages in vitro are highly susceptible to infection with HIV-1 R5 tropic strains. We investigated intracellular anti–HIV-1 factors that contribute to differential susceptibility of monocytes/macrophages to HIV-1 infection. Freshly isolated monocytes from peripheral blood had significantly higher levels of the anti–HIV-1 microRNAs (miRNA, miRNA-28, miRNA-150, miRNA-223, and miRNA-382) than monocyte-derived macrophages. The suppression of these anti–HIV-1 miRNAs in monocytes facilitates HIV-1 infectivity, whereas increase of the anti–HIV-1 miRNA expression in macrophages inhibited HIV-1 replication. These findings provide compelling and direct evidence at the molecular level to support the notion that intracellular anti–HIV-1 miRNA-mediated innate immunity may have a key role in protecting monocytes/macrophages from HIV-1 infection.