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Review
. 2021 Mar 18;9(3):271.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines9030271.

The Importance of Regulation in Natural Immunity to HIV

Laurence Blondin-Ladrie  1   2 , Matheus Aranguren  1   2 , Kim Doyon-Laliberté  1   2 , Johanne Poudrier  1   2 , Michel Roger  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Importance of Regulation in Natural Immunity to HIV

Laurence Blondin-Ladrie et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Worldwide, most Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections are acquired through heterosexual intercourse, and in sub-Saharan Africa, 59% of new HIV infections affect women. Vaccines and microbicides hold promise for preventing the acquisition of HIV. To this end, the study of HIV highly exposed seronegative (HESN) female commercial sex workers (CSWs), who constitute a model of natural immunity to HIV, provides an exceptional opportunity to determine important clues for the development of preventive strategies. Studies using both female genital tract (FGT) and peripheral blood samples of HESN CSWs, have allowed identifying distinct features, notably low-inflammatory patterns associated with resistance to infection. How this seemingly regulated response is achieved at the initial site of HIV infection remains unknown. One hypothesis is that populations presenting regulatory profiles contribute to the orchestration of potent anti-viral and low-inflammatory responses at the initial site of HIV transmission. Here, we view to update our knowledge regarding this issue.

Keywords: HIV; highly exposed seronegative (HESN); natural immunity; regulatory cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Active players in natural immunity to HIV.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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