HIV-1感染导致机体免疫系统被破坏，引起多种细胞因子发生改变，在HIV-1的感染及疾病进展中发挥重要的作用。IL-31是最新发现的细胞因子，主要由CD4+T辅助细胞产生，参与机体的基本生理过程。通过比较目前已知的HIV-1和IL-31涉及的信号传导通路，我们发现两者主要的传导通路都为MAPK和JAK-STAT。然而，对于IL-31与HIV-1相关性及其在HIV-1疾病进展中的作用目前国内外没有相关报道。本课题组前期研究中发现，在HIV-1不同感染方式的患者中，IL-31的表达有明显差别。与血液传播感染者相比，性传播的HIV感染者，IL-31的表达明显增高；IL-31与HIV-1感染者的CD4值呈正相关，表明在HIV-1疾病进展中IL-31可能起着重要的作用。本课题拟通过研究IL-31在HIV-1感染中免疫反应及信号传导中的作用机制，将对研究HIV-1免疫疗法或疫苗佐剂提供全新的思路。

HIV-1 infection leads to destruction of the immune system, causing a variety of cytokine change. Cytokine play an important role in HIV-1 infection and disease progression. Interleukin-31, produced mainly by activated CD4+T cells, is a newly discovered member of the gp130/ IL-6 cytokine family. IL-31 is involved in a variety of fundamental physiological processes. According to a previous study found that HIV-1 and IL-31 have the same signal pathway(MAPK and JAK-STAT). However, at present there is not a related report about correlation between IL-31 and HIV-1. Our earlier research found that expression of IL-31 has distinct differences in patients infected with HIV-1 through different routes. Compared to blood transmission infections, sexual transmission of HIV infection, expression of IL-31 was significantly increased; IL-31 and CD4+ T-Cell Counts of HIV-1 infected persons were positively correlated, suggesting IL-31 may play an important role in HIV-1 disease progression. Through studying the role and Mechanism of IL-31 in HIV infection, which can provide new ideas for studying HIV-1 infection mechanisms and developing new HIV-1 Immunotherapy or vaccine adjuvant.