Cooperation between cGAS and RIG-I sensing pathways enables improved innate recognition of HIV-1 by myeloid dendritic cells in elite controllers

Abstract

Introduction: Spontaneous control of HIV-1 replication in the absence of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) naturally occurs in a small proportion of HIV-1-infected individuals known as elite controllers (EC), likely as a result of improved innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Previous studies suggest that enhanced cytosolic immune recognition of HIV-1 reverse transcripts in conventional dendritic cells (mDC) from EC enables effective induction of antiviral effector T cell responses. However, the specific molecular circuits responsible for such improved innate recognition of HIV-1 in mDC from these individuals remain unknown.

Results and methods: Here, we identified a subpopulation of EC whose mDC displayed higher baseline abilities to respond to intracellular HIV-1 dsDNA stimulation. A computational analysis of transcriptional signatures from such high responder EC, combined with functional studies, suggested cytosolic recognition of HIV-1 dsDNA by cGAS, combined with sensing of viral mRNA by RIG-I after polymerase III-mediated HIV-1 DNA transcription.

Discussion: Together, our work identifies collaborative networks of innate sensing pathways that enhance cell-intrinsic abilities of mDC to induce antiviral innate responses against HIV-1; these observations might be useful for the therapeutic induction of effective antiviral immune responses.

Keywords: DNA sensor; HIV-1; RNA sensor; innate immunity; myeloid dendritic cells.