C-C chemokines, pivotal in protection against HIV type 1 infection

Natural killer cells from HIV-1+ patients produce C-C chemokines and inhibit HIV-1 infection.

Human NK cells have been shown to produce cytokines (e.g., IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha) and the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha following stimulation with the combination of two monokines, IL-15 plus IL-12. The C-C chemokines MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and RANTES have been identified as the major soluble macrophage-tropic HIV-1-suppressive factors produced by CD8+ T cells, which ...

Hepatitis C Virus and HIV Type 1 Co-Infection

Around 33 million people worldwide are living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, and approximately 20-30% of HIV-infected individuals are also infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The main form of HCV transmission is via the blood borne route; high rates of co-infection are found in intravenous drug users with HCV prevalence rates as high as 90%. Introduction of effective anti...

C–C Chemokines Released by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Human Macrophages Suppress HIV-1 Infection in Both Macrophages and T Cells

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) expression in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) infected in vitro is known to be inhibited by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, the mechanisms are incompletely understood. We show here that HIV-1 suppression is mediated by soluble factors released by MDM stimulated with physiologically significant concentrations of LPS. LPS-conditioned supernatants from ...

Response: HIV-2 and Natural Protection Against HIV-1 Infection.

Immunization of BALB/c mice with Brucella abortus 2308ΔwbkA confers protection against wild-type infection

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes animal and human diseases. Vaccination is a major measure for prevention of brucellosis, but it is currently not possible to distinguish vaccinated animals from those that have been naturally infected. Therefore, in this study, we constructed the Brucella (B.) abortus 2380 wbkA mutant (2308ΔwbkA) and evaluated its virulence. The survival of 2308Δwbk...