Figure 4.

Proposed mechanism of HIV-1 dissemination from the female reproductive tract. In the vaginal/ectocervical mucosa, basal Siglec-1⁺ DCs may mediate local HIV-1 trans-infection to target CD4⁺ T cells. At the endocervical mucosa, lower Siglec-1 expression is boosted in response to IFNα released by recruited pDCs sensing HIV-1. Siglec-1⁺ DCs may also contribute to systemic HIV-1 spread due to their ability to migrate to secondary lymphoid tissues, where CD4⁺ T cells accumulate. While a similar mechanism could be exploited by EBOV, further work needs to address this possibility.