Hiv-Enhancing Factors Are Secreted By Reproductive Epithelia Upon Inoculation With Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Bacteria

Keywords

Atopobium vaginae; Bacterial vaginosis; Female reproductive tract; Heterosexual HIV transmission; Innate immunity; Mucosal immunology

Abstract

Bacterial vaginosis is a common reproductive infection in which commensal vaginal lactobacilli are displaced by a mixed population of pathogenic bacteria. Bacterial vaginosis increases susceptibility to HIV, and it has been suggested that host innate immune responses to pathogenic bacteria contribute to enhanced infection, yet the cellular mechanisms mediating the increased HIV susceptibility remain uncharacterized. We evaluated the HIV-enhancing effects of bacterial vaginosis by inoculating endocervical epithelia with Atopobium vaginae, a bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria, and assaying secreted factors for HIV-enhancing activity. When epithelia and A. vaginae were cocultured, we observed increased HIV-enhancing activity mediated by secreted low molecular weight factors. From this complex mixture we identified several upregulated host proteins, which functioned in combination to enhance HIV infection. These studies suggest that the host immune response to bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria results in the release of HIV-enhancing factors. The combined activity of bacterial vaginosis-induced proteins likely mediates HIV enhancement.

Publication Date

7-1-2015

Publication Title

Protein and Peptide Letters

Volume

22

Issue

8

Number of Pages

672-680

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.2174/0929866522666150309155735

Socpus ID

84938771972 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84938771972

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