title: Natural killer cells in HIV-1 infection: a double-edged sword.
abstract: In order to propagate and persist within the host, HIV-1 subverts a variety of checkpoints of innate and adaptive viral immunosurveillance. Many of these are related to natural killer cells, which bridge innate and adaptive immunity and play a major role in defeating virus infections. HIV-1 affects cytotoxicity of natural killer cells towards infected cells and natural killer cell-mediated priming of effector cells of the adaptive immune system. Moreover, a subpopulation of natural killer cells was found sensitive to infection by HIV-1. Consequently, an efficient immune response against HIV-1 cannot be mounted in most patients. The current review highlights the molecular interplay between HIV-1 and effector cells of the host immune system with a focus on natural killer cells, and summarizes strategies of HIV-1 to escape from natural killer cell immunosurveillance. A detailed knowledge of these immune escape strategies might lead to the identification of access points for intervention in order to block infection and progression to AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute of Biomedical Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Funke
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dürr
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology