Characterization of the follicular dendritic cell reservoir of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

ABSTRACT: Throughout the natural course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) trap and retain large quantities of particle-associated HIV RNA in the follicles of secondary lymphoid tissue. We have previously found that murine FDCs in vivo could maintain trapped virus particles in an infectious state for at least 9 months. Here we sought to determine whether human FDCs serve as an HIV reservoir, based on the criteria that virus therein must be replication competent, genetically diverse, and archival in nature. We tested our hypothesis using postmortem cells and tissues obtained from three HIV-infected subjects and antemortem blood samples obtained from one of these subjects. Replication competence was determined using coculture, while genetic diversity and

SUBMITTER: Keele BF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2395176 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature