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¹ Centro Nacional de Referencia para el SIDA, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1121ABG, Argentina
² Instituto de Investigaciones Hematológicas, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires C1425ASU, Argentina
³ Instituto Médico Halitus, Buenos Aires C1122AAF, Argentina
⁴ Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Buenos Aires C1428DN, Argentina
⁵ Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale U365, Immunite et Cancer, Institut Curie, Paris F-75248, France

CORRESPONDENCE Jorge Geffner: larageffner{at}yahoo.com.ar

Semen is the main vector for HIV-1 dissemination worldwide. It contains three major sources of infectious virus: free virions, infected leukocytes, and spermatozoa-associated virions. We focused on the interaction of HIV-1 with human spermatozoa and dendritic cells (DCs). We report that heparan sulfate is expressed in spermatozoa and plays an important role in the capture of HIV-1. Spermatozoa-attached virus is efficiently transmitted to DCs, macrophages, and T cells. Interaction of spermatozoa with DCs not only leads to the transmission of HIV-1 and the internalization of the spermatozoa but also results in the phenotypic maturation of DCs and the production of IL-10 but not IL-12p70. At low values of extracellular pH (6.5 pH units), similar to those found in the vaginal mucosa after sexual intercourse, the binding of HIV-1 to the spermatozoa and the consequent transmission of HIV-1 to DCs were strongly enhanced. Our observations support the notion that far from being a passive carrier, spermatozoa acting in concert with DCs might affect the early course of sexual transmission of HIV-1 infection.

Abbreviations used: BMA, biotin-labeled mannose coupled to albumin; DC-SIGN, DC-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin; HS, heparan sulfate; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; MR, mannose receptor; PLC, phospholipase C.

© 2009 Ceballos et al.
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• Ceballos, A., Lenicov, F. R., Sabatte, J., Rodrigues, C. R., Cabrini, M., Jancic, C., Raiden, S., Donaldson, M., Pasqualini, R. A. Jr., Marin-Briggiler, C., Vazquez-Levin, M., Capani, F., Amigorena, S., Geffner, J. (2009). Spermatozoa capture HIV-1 through heparan sulfate and efficiently transmit the virus to dendritic cells. JCB 187: i5-i5 [Full Text]  

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