title: IFN-α and TRAIL: a double edge sword in HIV-1 disease?
abstract: IFN-α is rapidly upregulated in response to viral infections and it is an essential player in innate immunity against viruses. pDCs are the most potent IFN-α-producing cells and serve as an essential link between innate and adaptive immunity. The fate of pDCs in the course of HIV-1 infection is still a matter of debate, and the question of the detrimental role of chronic production of IFN-α remains open. In particular, IFN-α has been shown to induce the expression of the death ligand TRAIL on pDCs, transforming them into killer pDCs that may contribute to the destruction of CD4(+) T cells, the hallmark of HIV-1-induced disease. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the protective and pathogenic roles of both IFN-α and TRAIL in HIV-1 disease.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Antiviral Immunity, Biotherapy and Vaccine Unit, Infection and Epidemiology Department, Paris, France. marie-lise.gougeon@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: Marie-Lise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gougeon
authors.forename: Jean-Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Herbeuval
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000276:immunology*; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand