Cholecalciferol modulates the phenotype of differentiated monocyte-derived dendritic cells without altering HIV-1 transfer to CD4+ T cells

Abstract

Abstract Background Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role during HIV-1 transmission due to their ability to transfer virions to susceptible CD4+ T cells, particularly in the lymph nodes during antigen presentation which favors the establishment of systemic infection. As mature dendritic cells (mDCs) exhibit a greater ability to transfer virions, compared to immature DCs (iDCs), maintenance of an iDC phenotype could decrease viral transmission. The immunomodulatory vitamin D (VitD) has been shown to reduce activation and maturation of DCs; hence, we hypothesized that it would reduce viral transference by DCs. Materials and methods We evaluated the effect of in vitro treatment with a precursor of VitD, cholecalciferol, on the activation/maturation phenotype of differentiated monocyte-derived DCs and their ability to transfer HIV-1 to autologous CD4+ T cells. Results Our findings show that although cholecalciferol decreases the activation of iDCs, it did not impact the maturation phenotype after LPS treatment nor iDCs’ ability to transfer viral particles to target cells. Conclusion These findings suggest that despite cholecalciferol potentially modulates the phenotype of mucosal iDCs in vivo, such modulation might not impact the ability of these cells to transfer HIV-1 to target CD4+ T cells.