Cellular and Viral Immunology of HIV-1 Infection: An Update
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 5784
Special Issue Editor
Interests: HIV; AIDS; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; emerging viruses; immunology; pharmacology; cancer
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
HIV-1 provokes an extreme immune dysfunction. HIV-1 infection is associated with CD4 lymphopenia and decreased lymphoproliferation together with the impairment of critical immune functions. The immune events, negatively affected by HIV-1, are cytokine and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression, cellular chemotaxis, phagocytosis and intracellular killing in cytoplasmic granules, and the observation of neutropenia, reduced natural killer (NK)-mediated cytotoxicity, and B-lymphocyte numbers that produce nonspecific immunoglobulins (Igs) with impoverished antibody (Ab) responses. Long-term non-progressors (LTNPs) in HIV-1-infected patients have suggested that immune responses and/or host factors (e.g., HLA or CCR5 mutations) mediate viral infection control. LTNPs are asymptomatic, presenting normal CD4+ T-cell counts in the absence of antiretroviral treatment (ART), with low viremia or undetectable viremia in the case of elite controllers (LTNP-ECs). On the other hand, the HIV-1 Nef and the envelope complex of proteins (Env) play a critical role in determining infection evolution in HIV-1 patients. LTNP individuals (ECs and viremics) that exhibit viral control and low clinical progression rates present viruses with non-functional Envs, whereas infectious Envs are from viruses linked with HIV-1 patients presenting viremia and clinical progression (viremic non-progressors (VNPs), progressors and rapid progressors (RPs)). Viral control could be the consequence of an interplay between virus infectiveness and immune responses which are conceivably more efficient against HIV-1 bearing non-functional Env. Therefore, this Special Issue is focused on immune and viral events that lead to progression or natural control of HIV-1 infection, especially considering new research works and review articles that update the knowledge in this field.
Dr. Agustín Valenzuela-Fernández
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- HIV-1
- immune responses
- viral factors
- infection control
- elite controllers
- progression
- pathogenesis
