Nuclear positional control of HIV transcription in 4D

Retroviruses integrate their genome into the chromatin of the host cell and are subject to the same control mechanisms governing transcription in the nucleus. There is increasing evidence that the spatial position of a gene within the nucleus in time affects its activity. Therefore it becomes important to study the chromatin environment in space and time of the HIV-1 provirus, particularly in cells where a tight transcriptional control allows the virus to hide away from antiviral treatment and immune response. We recently showed that the HIV-1 provirus is found at the nuclear periphery of latently infected lymphocytes associated in trans with centromeric heterochromatin. After induction of transcription, this association was lost, although the location of the transcribing provirus remained peripheral. Our results reveal a novel mechanism of transcriptional silencing involved in HIV-1 post-transcriptional latency and open wider perspectives for the general organization of chromatin in the nucleus.