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. 2016 Apr 1;2(2):78-81.

The X awakens: multifactorial ramifications of sex-specific differences in HIV-1 infection

Sven Hagen  1 , Marcus Altfeld  2
Affiliations

The X awakens: multifactorial ramifications of sex-specific differences in HIV-1 infection

Sven Hagen et al. J Virus Erad. .

Abstract

Sex-specific differences have been described for a variety of infectious and autoimmune diseases. In HIV-1 infection women present with significantly lower viral loads during early infection, but during chronic infection women progress faster to AIDS for the same amount of viral replication. Recent studies have shown that sex differences during HIV-1 infection might also include the size of the latent viral reservoir, which represents a major obstacle towards a cure for HIV-1. Here we review different immunological and virological aspects that can be influenced by sex hormones and sex-specific genetic factors and their contribution to viral replication, as well as the creation and maintenance of the HIV-1 reservoir.

Keywords: HIV-1; HIV-1 reservoir; sex differences; sex hormones.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Summary of the multifactorial ramifications of sex-specific differences for HIV-1 infection. Immunological, viral and host factors regulate HIV-1 replication, as well as the creation and maintenance of the HIV-1 reservoir. These three factors are in turn regulated by genetic and hormonal determinants. The microbiome, furthermore, plays an important role in orchestrating sex differences of immune cells, as has been reviewed elsewhere . IFN: interferon; ISG: interferon-stimulated genes; LTR: long terminal repeat; PDI: protein disulfide isomerase
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