Affiliation:
1. Division of Comparative Pathology, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA, USA
2. Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA
3. Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Abstract
Profound loss of CD4+T cells, progressive impairment of the immune system, inflammation, and sustained immune activation are the characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection. Innate immune responses respond immediately from the day of HIV infection, and a thorough understanding of the interaction between several innate immune cells and HIV-1 is essential to determine to what extent those cells play a crucial role in controlling HIV-1in vivo. Defensins, divided into the three subfamiliesα-,β-, andθ-defensins based on structure and disulfide linkages, comprise a critical component of the innate immune response and exhibit anti-HIV-1 activities and immunomodulatory capabilities. In humans, onlyα- andβ-defensins are expressed in various tissues and have broad impacts on HIV-1 transmission, replication, and disease progression.θ-defensins have been identified as functional peptides in Old World monkeys, but not in humans. Instead,θ-defensins exist only as pseudogenes in humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. The use of the syntheticθ-defensin peptide “retrocyclin” as an antiviral therapy was shown to be promising, and further research into the development of defensin-based HIV-1 therapeutics is needed. This review focuses on the role of defensins in HIV-1 pathogenesis and highlights future research efforts that warrant investigation.
Funder
Tulane Office of Research Bridge Funding
Cited by
33 articles.
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