The reservoir of latent HIV

Abstract

The persistence of latent reservoir of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is currently the major challenge in curing HIV infection. After HIV infects the human body, the latent HIV is unable to be recognized by the body's immune system. Currently, the widely adopted antiretroviral therapy (ART) is also unble to eliminate it, thus hindering the progress of HIV treatment. This review discusses the existence of latent HIV vault for HIV treatment, its formation and factors affecting its formation, cell, and tissue localization, methods for detection and removing latent reservoir, to provide a comprehensive understanding of latent HIV vault, in order to assist in the future research and play a potential role in achieving HIV treatment.

Keywords: cell reservoir; detection; formation; remove; reservoir of latent HIV; tissue reservoir.

Figure 1

The formation process of latent HIV reservoir. (A) HIV mainly infects human CD4+T lymphocytes. When it enters the cell, the RNA is first reversely transcribed into HIV DNA, which is then incorporated into the DNA of CD4+T cells. Some CD4+T cells with integrated HIV DNA are converted into a resting state, and the HIV in the resting CD4+T becomes latent HIV. (B) HIV directly infects CD4+T cells that revert to a G0 dormant memory state, thus enabling the virus to enter latency. (C) HIV establishes incubation by directly infecting resting memory CD4+T cells (Trm cells).

Figure 2

The main tissue locations of latent HIV reservoir.

Figure 3

The main process of shock and kill and block and Lock therapy to clear latent reservoir of HIV. (A) Shock and kill strategy: the latent HIV is activated with a LRAs and then killed by ART or immunotherapy. (B) Block and lock strategy: by preventing the transcription and reactivation of HIV in latent infection cells to inhibit the emergence of latent virus and prevent virus rebound.