Vaginal Prevotella timonensis Bacteria Enhance HIV-1 Uptake and Differentially Affect Transmission by Distinct Primary Dendritic Cell Subsets.

ABSTRACT: Young females are at high risk of acquiring HIV-1 infections and an imbalance in the vaginal microbiome enhances susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. More insights into the underlying mechanisms could open up new strategies to prevent HIV-1 acquisition and dissemination. Here, we investigated the effect of anaerobic bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) on HIV-1 transmission by two distinct dendritic cell (DC) subsets, that is, inflammatory monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) and primary CD1c⁺ DCs. Notably, in contrast to other BV-associated microbiota, Prevotella timonensis enhanced uptake of HIV-1 by both moDCs and CD1c⁺ DCs and the increased uptake was independent of cellular HIV-1 (co-)receptors. Imaging flow cytometry analyses showed that HIV-1 did not co-loca

SUBMITTER: van Smoorenburg MY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11898549 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature