Waking up the sleepers: HIV latency and reactivation

In a patient infected with HIV-1, the presence of latently infected cells from which the virus can be reactivated and rekindle HIV infection in the patient necessitates lifelong administration of antiretroviral treatment. The biology of HIV latency and viral silencing is now becoming clearer at a molecular and cellular level. However, our understanding of HIV-1 latency in vivo is still inadequate. Attempts to therapeutically reactivate the virus in infected patients have yielded disappointing results. This article reviews the research and clinical findings and discusses current thinking on the subject of HIV latency and reactivation.