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Journal of Virology, July 2008, p. 6557-6565, Vol. 82, No. 13
0022-538X/08/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.02321-07
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

LaboRetro, Department of Human Virology, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Lyon, France,1 INSERM, U758, Lyon, France,2 University of Lyon, Lyon 1, IFR128 BioSciences Lyon-Gerland, Lyon-Biopole, Lyon, France,3 Etablissement Français du Sang, Lyon, France4
Received 26 October 2007/ Accepted 8 April 2008
Blood-circulating monocytes migrate in tissues in response to danger stimuli and differentiate there into two major actors of the immune system: macrophages and dendritic cells. Given their migratory behavior and their pivotal role in the orchestration of immune responses, it is not surprising that cells of the monocyte lineage are the target of several viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). HIV-1 replicates in monocytoid cells to an extent that is influenced by their differentiation status and modulated by exogenous stimulations. Unstimulated monocytes display a relative resistance to HIV infection mostly exerted during the early steps of the viral life cycle. Despite intensive studies, the identity of the affected step remains controversial, although it is generally assumed to take place after viral entry. We reexamine here the early steps of viral infection of unstimulated monocytes using vesicular stomatitis virus G protein-pseudotyped HIV-1 virions. Our data indicate that a first block to the early steps of infection of monocytes with these particles occurs at the level of viral entry. After entry, reverse transcription and integration proceed with extremely slow kinetics rather than being blocked. Once completed, viral DNA molecules delay entry into the nucleus and integration for up to 5 to 6 days. The inefficacy of these steps accounts for the resistance of monocytes to HIV-1 during the early steps of infection.
Published ahead of print on 16 April 2008.
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