Induction of 15-lipoxygenase-1 impairs expression of HIV-1 receptors CD4 and CXCR4 in monocytic cells

The lipoxygenase pathway of immunocompetent cells has been related to HIV infection and interleukins-4 and -13 have been described as major regulators of this metabolic route. To explore whether 15-lipoxygenasel expression might impact the responsiveness of monocytic cells for HIV we induced expression of this enzyme by two independent ways (stable transfection of U937 cells and culturing of blood monocytes in vitro in the presence of granulocyte/monocyte colony stimulating factor and interleukin 4) and assayed the cellular content of the two HIV-1 receptors CD4 and CXCR4 (CD184) by real time RTPCR and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Wild-type U937 cells express CD4 and CXCR4 at high levels and expression was not altered when the cells were transfected with control plasmids. In contrast, expression of these proteins was strongly reduced when the cells were stably transfected with 15-lipoxygenasel. Similar effects were observed when blood monocytes were cultured in the presence of granullocyte/monocyte colony stimulating factor and interieukin-4. Under these conditions strong overexpression of 15-lipoxygenasel was paralleled by downregulation of CD4 and CXCR4. Since these surface proteins are essential for the binding of T-tropic HIV-1 strains expression of 15-lipoxygenasel may confer resistance against HIV infection to monocytic cells. (c) 2005 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.