Phenotypic and functional profile of IFN-α-differentiated dendritic cells (IFN-DCs) from HIV-infected individuals.

Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of HIV-infected individuals. Different from the conventional protocol for DC differentiation based on the cytokine IL-4 (IL4-DCs), several studies have suggested obtaining DCs by culturing monocytes with type I IFN (IFN-α) to yield IFN-DCs, as performed in cancer therapy. To evaluate the phenotypic and functional characteristics, monocytes from HIV-infected subjects were differentiated into IFN-DCs or IL4-DCs, pulsed with chemically inactivated HIV and stimulated with pro-inflammatory cytokines. A comparative analysis between both types of monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) showed that immature IFN-DCs were phenotypically distinct from immature IL4-DCs at the baseline of differentiation, presenting a pre-activated profile. From the functional profile, we determined that IFN-DCs were capable of producing the cytokine IL-12 p70 and of inducing the production of IFN-γ by CD4 + T lymphocytes but not by TCD8+ lymphocytes. Our results suggest that IFN-DCs derived from HIV-infected individuals are able to recognize and present viral antigens to induce TCD4+ cellular immunity to HIV.