Dendritic cells (DCs) that control immune responses were recently found to capture and transport HIV from the mucosal area to remote lymph nodes (1), where DCs hand over HIV to CD4+ T lymphocytes. DCs also amplify the amount of virus and extend the duration of viral infectivity. Multiple strains of HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV bind to DCs via DC-SIGN (2). ICAM-3 is the natural ligand for DC-SIGN (3). A DC-SIGN homologue (termed DC-SIGNR, L-SIGN, and DC-SIGN2) was identified recently (4-8). DC-SIGN forms a novel gene family with DC-SIGNR and many alternatively spliced isoforms of DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR are known to exisit (8). The expression of DC-SIGN was found in mucosal tissues including placenta, small intestine, and rectum.
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