Human immunodeficiency virus type I stimulates the expression and production of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) in oral epithelial cells: a role for SLPI in innate mucosal immunity

The innate immune response is a key barrier against pathogenic microorganisms such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Because HIV-1 is rarely transmitted orally, we hypothesized that oral epithellial cells participate in the innate immune defense against this virus. We further hypothesized that secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), a 12-kDa mucosal antiviral protein, is a component of the host immune response to this virus. Here we demonstrated constitutive expression and production of SLPI in immortalized human oral keratinocytes. Brief exposure of cells to HIV-1 BaL and HXB2 significantly increased SLPI mRNA and protein production compared to that in mock-exposed cells (P < 0.01), as evaluated by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HIV-1-mediated stimulation of SLPI occurred at the transcriptional level, was dose and time dependent, was elicited by heat-inactivated and infectious viruses, and did not depend on cellular infection. Experiments with purified retroviral proteins showed that the stimulatory effect was induced specifically by external envelope glycoproteins from HIV-1 and simian immunodeficiency virus. SLPI responsiveness to HIV-1 was also observed in an unrelated oral epithelial cell line and in normal (nonimmortalized) human oral epithelial cells isolated from healthy uninfected gingival tissues. In this first report of SLPI regulation by HIV-1, we show that the expression and production of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory protein can be stimulated in oral epitheliall cells by the virus through interactions with gp120 in the absence of direct infection. These findings indicate that SLPI is a component of the oral mucosal response to HIV-1.