HIV-1 infection and HIV-1 Tat protein permit the survival and replication of a non-pathogenic trypanosomatid in macrophages through TGF-β1 production

Monoxenic trypanosomatids, which usually are non-pathogenic in humans, have been detected in AIDS patients, but the mechanisms underlying the establishment of these protozoa in HIV-1-infected individuals are poorly understood. Here we addressed the role of HIV-1 and the HIV-1 Tat protein in the replication of the monoxenic trypanosomatid Blastocrithidia culicis in HIV-1-infected primary human macrophages. We found that HIV-1 and B. culicis replication augmented almost three times in co-infected macrophages, and that Tat antiserum significantly reduced the exacerbated protozoan growth. Exposure of B. culicis only infected macrophages to Tat protein also resulted in enhanced protozoan proliferation, reaching a twofold increase at 100 ng/mL. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that B. culicis and HIV-1 co-habit the same cells, and showed protozoan dividing forms inside macrophages. Protozoan replication diminished when B. culicis only infected macrophages were treated with Tat protein in the presence of anti-TGF-β1 antibodies, suggesting a participation of this cytokine in the augmentation of protozoan multiplication. In fact, exogenous TGF-β1 promoted the trypanosomatid replication in macrophages. Overall, our results suggest that HIV-1 infection deactivates the macrophage microbicidal activity, permitting the survival and multiplication of an otherwise non-pathogenic protozoan in these cells, a process partially mediated by Tat protein, via TGF-β1 secretion.