Human immunodeficiency virus-1 remains a major global health threat. Since the virus is often transmitted through sexual intercourse and women account for the majority of new infections within the most endemic regions, research on mucosal immunity at the female reproductive tract (FRT) is of paramount importance. At the FRT, there are intrinsic barriers to HIV-1 infection, such as epithelial cells and the microbiome, and immune cells of both the innate and adaptive arms are prepared to respond in case the virus overcomes the first line of defense. In this review, we discuss recent findings on FRT mucosal mechanisms of HIV-1 defense and highlight research gaps. While defense from HIV-1 infection at the FRT has been understudied, current and future research is essential to develop new therapeutics and vaccines that can protect this unique mucosal site from HIV-1.

中文翻译：

---

女性生殖道粘膜免疫机制参与防御艾滋病毒感染

人类免疫缺陷病毒-1 仍然是全球主要的健康威胁。由于该病毒通常通过性交传播，而在流行地区，女性占新感染病例的大多数，因此对女性生殖道（FRT）粘膜免疫的研究至关重要。在 FRT 中，HIV-1 感染存在内在障碍，例如上皮细胞和微生物组，先天臂和适应性臂的免疫细胞都准备好做出反应，以防病毒突破第一道防线。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了有关 HIV-1 防御的 FRT 粘膜机制的最新发现，并强调了研究差距。虽然 FRT 对 HIV-1 感染的防御机制尚未得到充分研究，但当前和未来的研究对于开发能够保护这一独特粘膜部位免受 HIV-1 感染的新疗法和疫苗至关重要。