Glut1-mediated glucose transport regulates HIV infection

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Feb 14;109(7):2549-54. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1121427109. Epub 2012 Jan 30.

Abstract

Cell cycle entry is commonly considered to positively regulate HIV-1 infection of CD4 T cells, raising the question as to how quiescent lymphocytes, representing a large portion of the viral reservoir, are infected in vivo. Factors such as the homeostatic cytokine IL-7 have been shown to render quiescent T cells permissive to HIV-1 infection, presumably by transiently stimulating their entry into the cell cycle. However, we show here that at physiological oxygen (O(2)) levels (2-5% O(2) tension in lymphoid organs), IL-7 stimulation generates an environment permissive to HIV-1 infection, despite a significantly attenuated level of cell cycle entry. We identify the IL-7-induced increase in Glut1 expression, resulting in augmented glucose uptake, as a key factor in rendering these T lymphocytes susceptible to HIV-1 infection. HIV-1 infection of human T cells is abrogated either by impairment of Glut1 signal transduction or by siRNA-mediated Glut1 down-regulation. Consistent with this, we show that the susceptibility of human thymocyte subsets to HIV-1 infection correlates with Glut1 expression; single-round infection is markedly higher in the Glut1-expressing double-positive thymocyte population than in any of the Glut1-negative subsets. Thus, our studies reveal the Glut1-mediated metabolic pathway as a critical regulator of HIV-1 infection in human CD4 T cells and thymocytes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biological Transport
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Glucose / metabolism*
  • Glucose Transporter Type 1 / metabolism*
  • HIV Infections / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Glucose Transporter Type 1
  • SLC2A1 protein, human
  • Glucose