Calcitriol decreases HIV-1 transfer in vitro from monocyte-derived dendritic cells to CD4 + T cells, and downregulates the expression of DC-SIGN and SIGLEC-1

PLoS One. 2022 Jul 8;17(7):e0269932. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269932. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) promote HIV-1 transmission by acting as Trojan horses, capturing viral particles, facilitating the infection of CD4+ T-cells. Vitamin D (VitD) has shown to decrease T cell activation, reducing susceptibility to HIV-1 infection of CD4+ T-cells in vitro; however, if VitD decreases viral transfer from DCs to CD4+ T-cells is unknown. In this study, we co-cultured HIV-1-pulsed immature and LPS mature monocytes-derived DCs (iDCs and LmDCs, respectively), differentiated in presence or absence of calcitriol (VitD active form), with PHA-activated autologous CD4+ T-cells from 16 healthy donors. In co-cultures of iDCs and LmDCs treated with calcitriol, there was a significant decrease in frequency of infected CD4+ T-cells, evaluated by flow cytometry. However, p24 levels evaluated by ELISA were not significantly reduced in culture supernatants. Moreover, calcitriol-treated iDCs exhibited decreased expression of genes involved in HIV-1 transfer compared to the control. Both, calcitriol-treated iDCs and LmDCs exhibit a similar gene expression profile, probably related to a transcriptional balance achieved after long treatment with calcitriol. Since calcitriol-differentiated DCs express on their surface a lower amount of DC-SIGN and SIGLEC-1 molecules, widely associated with HIV-1 transfer, suggesting that this mechanism contributes to a lower transfer of viral particles by the DCs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
  • Calcitriol / pharmacology
  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Dendritic Cells
  • HIV Infections* / prevention & control
  • HIV Seropositivity*
  • HIV-1* / physiology
  • Humans
  • Lectins, C-Type
  • Monocytes
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 1

Substances

  • Cell Adhesion Molecules
  • DC-specific ICAM-3 grabbing nonintegrin
  • Lectins, C-Type
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 1
  • Calcitriol

Associated data

  • figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.20070209.v1

Grants and funding

This work was supported by MINCIENCIAS (grant no. 111574455024), Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, and Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Colombia.