HIV type 1 infection in women: increased transcription of HIV type 1 in ectocervical tissue explants.
BACKGROUND
Mucosal surfaces of the female reproductive tract are the main routes of heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), but the contribution of each of the reproductive sites to mucosal transmission is unknown.


METHODS
We compared levels of HIV-1 transcription between ectocervical and endometrial tissue explants infected ex vivo with HIV-1.


RESULTS
We detected higher levels of HIV-1 transcription in the ectocervix. Although CD45 expression was also increased at this site, higher levels of HIV-1 transcription could not be accounted for exclusively by differences in CD45 expression. This suggests that factors other than CD45 levels regulate HIV-1 transcription within the ectocervix. We detected higher levels of interleukin (IL)-6 at this site. Furthermore, addition of recombinant IL-6 to tissue explants enhanced HIV-1 transcription to a much greater degree in the ectocervix than in the endometrium.


CONCLUSIONS
This is, to our knowledge, the first study to compare ectocervix and endometrium in a tissue explant model of HIV-1 infection and to demonstrate greater HIV-1 transcription in the ectocervix. Our results suggest that the ectocervix is more conducive to HIV-1 replication than is the endometrium and that IL-6 enhances HIV-1 transcription at this site. Thus, the ectocervix is an important site to be considered in heterosexual transmission of HIV-1.
Asin
Susana N
SN
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 215 N. Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05009, USA. Susana.Asin@Dartmouth.edu
Eszterhas
Susan K
SK
Rollenhagen
Christiane
C
Heimberg
Alysha M
AM
Howell
Alexandra L
AL
D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000821:virology*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
D015850:Interleukin-6; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; C516769:PTPRC protein, human