Effects of heavy-ion, UV-C, and X-ray irradiation on the susceptibilities of human cells to HIV-1 infection

Shimizu, Nobuaki*; Oue, Atsushi*; Otsuki, Takahiro*; Mori, Takahisa*; Yamaguchi, Kayo*; Nakamura, Takako*; Wada, Seiichi*; Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Hoshino, Hiroo*

In this study, we show that heavy ion irradiation at low doses has enhancing effects on the susceptibility of NP-2/CD4/CCR5 cells to HIV-1. This enhancing effect was specifically detected when the cells were irradiated with heavy ion but not with UV-C and X-ray. Enhancement of HIV-1 infection may be accomplished by up-regulation of viral incorporation into the cells or reverse-transcription of the viral genomic RNA. Thus, heavy-ion irradiation will be a useful tool to analyze the mechanism of HIV-1 infection in human cells.