Iqbal Shehzad M, Ball Terry B, Kimani Joshua, Kiama Peter, Thottingal Paul, Embree Joanne E, Fowke Keith R, Plummer Francis A
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
J Infect Dis. 2005 Sep 1;192(5):728-38. doi: 10.1086/432482. Epub 2005 Jul 27.
The initial site of exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 during heterosexual transmission occurs in the genital tract. Although the majority of immunological studies have focused on the immune response to HIV-1 at the systemic level, our understanding of tissue-specific immunity is deficient. The goal of the present study was to characterize T cell populations found in the cervix of women shown to be resistant to infection by HIV-1. Levels of both systemic and cervical mucosal lymphocytes were compared between HIV-1-resistant, HIV-1-uninfected, and HIV-1-infected commercial sex workers (CSWs) as well as HIV-1-uninfected non-CSW control subjects at low risk for exposure. The HIV-1-resistant CSWs had increased cervical CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, compared with the HIV-1-uninfected CSWs; importantly, these increases were not reflected in the systemic lymphocyte compartment. There was a 2-fold increase in CD4+ T cell counts in the HIV-1-resistant CSWs, compared with both the HIV-1-infected and the HIV-1-uninfected CSWs. Expression of the HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4 was also determined, and cytokine and beta chemokine levels in the genital mucosa were assessed. The HIV-1-resistant CSWs had a 10-fold increase in RANTES expression, compared with the HIV-1-uninfected CSWs. This is the first study to show elevated levels of beta chemokines and CD4+ T cells in the genital tracts of women who are exposed to HIV-1 and yet are uninfected.
在异性传播过程中，人体免疫缺陷病毒1型（HIV-1）的最初暴露部位发生在生殖道。尽管大多数免疫学研究都集中在系统水平上对HIV-1的免疫反应，但我们对组织特异性免疫的了解仍然不足。本研究的目的是对在显示对HIV-1感染具有抵抗力的女性宫颈中发现的T细胞群体进行特征描述。比较了对HIV-1具有抵抗力的、未感染HIV-1的以及感染HIV-1的商业性工作者（CSW）的全身和宫颈黏膜淋巴细胞水平，以及暴露风险较低的未感染HIV-1的非CSW对照受试者的水平。与未感染HIV-1的CSW相比，对HIV-1具有抵抗力的CSW宫颈中的CD4+和CD8+ T细胞计数增加；重要的是，这些增加并未反映在全身淋巴细胞区室中。与感染HIV-1和未感染HIV-1的CSW相比，对HIV-1具有抵抗力的CSW的CD4+ T细胞计数增加了两倍。还测定了HIV-1共受体CCR5和CXCR4的表达，并评估了生殖器黏膜中的细胞因子和β趋化因子水平。与未感染HIV-1的CSW相比，对HIV-1具有抵抗力的CSW的RANTES表达增加了10倍。这是第一项显示在暴露于HIV-1但未感染的女性生殖道中β趋化因子和CD4+ T细胞水平升高的研究。
