The emerging role of innate immunity in protection against HIV-1 infection

SummaryPreventive immunization against HIV-1 infection requires a rapid immune response that does not rely exclusively on B or T cell memory. Innate immunity may fulfill this function as it may be activated directly at the time of HIV-1 transmission, inhibit early HIV-1 replication, stimulate adaptive immunity and enable specific antibodies followed by CD8+ T cells to deal with the virus effectively. The three components of innate immunity – cellular, extracellular and intracellular – are presented, with an example given for each of these components; γδ T cells, CC chemokines and APOBEC3G. This brief account is presented to highlight the immuno-virological concept of coordinating activated innate immunity with adaptive antibody and T cell responses in preventive vaccination against HIV-1 infection.