Figure 4. HD5-mediated inhibition of HIV in serum-deprived primary CD4+ T cells occurs independently of HIV receptors.

(A) CD4+ T cells from different preparation methods were infected with pseudotyped HIV-1_VSV-G luciferase reporter viruses by spinoculation. Infected cells were cultured under serum-deprived conditions. HIV infection was determined by measuring luciferase activity on day 3 after infection. (B) CD4+ T cells under serum-deprived conditions were treated with HD5 at different concentrations for 1 h at 37°C followed by exposure to serum-free pseudotyped HIV-1_VSV-G luciferase reporter viruses by spinoculation in the presence of HD5. Cells were then cultured in RPMI containing 0.3% human AB serum, ITS supplement, IL-2, and defensins for 3 days followed by measurement of luciferase activity. Data presented are the average ± standard deviation of 3 replicates and represent 2 independent experiments. *P<0.05, defensin-treated samples vs non-treated controls.