Abstract
The placenta may play a critical role in inhibiting vertical transmission of HIV-1. Here we demonstrate that leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a potent endogenous HIV-1-suppressive factor produced locally in placentae. In vitro, LIF exerted a potent, gp130-LIFRβ - dependent, HIV coreceptor - independent inhibition of HIV-1 replication with IC50 values between 0.1 pg/ml and 0.7 pg/ml, depending on the HIV-1 isolate. LIF also inhibited HIV-1 in placenta and thymus tissues grown in ex vivo organ culture. The level of LIF mRNA and the incidence of LIF protein - expressing cells were significantly greater in placentae from HIV-1 - infected women who did not transmit HIV-1 to their fetuses compared with women who transmitted the infection, but they were not significantly different from placentae of uninfected mothers. These findings demonstrate a novel pathway for endogenous HIV suppression that may prove to be an effective immune therapy for HIV infection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 287-294 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical Investigation |
Volume | 107 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2001 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine