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Enhanced HIV-1 replication in retinoid-treated monocytes. Retinoid effects mediated through mechanisms related to cell differentiation and to a direct transcriptional action on viral gene expression.

Vitamin A and other retinoids have profound effects on macrophage differentiation and function. Such effects could alter interactions between HIV and tissue macrophages, a principal target cell and reservoir for virus during HIV disease. Indeed, retinoids are used to treat various symptoms associated with HIV infection. We show that levels of virus replication in monocytes cultured 7 days before and continuously after HIV infection in 1 to 10 microM retinoic acid were 10- to 20-fold greater than those of control cells. No direct toxicity (detachment from substrate or cell death) was evident in infected or control monocytes treated with less than or equal to 10 microM retinoic acid. Maximum effects of retinoic acid (50% maximum effect was at 0.8 +/- 0.1 microM) required 5 to 7 days treatment before infection and persisted without additional treatment through more than 4 wk. RT activity in cultures of retinoic acid-treated monocytes reached maximum levels much earlier than those of control cultures, but the minimum tissue culture infectious doses for retinoic acid-treated and untreated monocytes were comparable. Retinoic acid treatment did not affect susceptibility of monocytes to HIV infection. Further, the frequency of infected cells in retinoic acid-treated and control cultures were also comparable: about 20% of cells in each culture expressed HIV proteins or RNA 2 wk after infection. In contrast, levels of HIV-specific RNA and DNA were 3- to 5-fold higher in the retinoic acid-treated over control monocytes 1 wk after infection. That retinoic acid increased levels of HIV gene expression in monocyte cultures without affecting the number of infected cells per culture suggested a transcriptional mechanism for the effect. This was confirmed in the U937 myeloid cell line transfected with HIV LTR linked to a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase reporter gene. Chloramphenicol acetyl transferase activity in lysates of retinoic acid-treated cells were 20-fold higher than that of control cells. These data show that retinoic acid significantly increased HIV replication in monocytes through mechanisms related to cell differentiation and to a direct transcriptional effect on viral gene expression.