Making sense of how HIV kills infected CD4 T cells: implications for HIV cure

Defining how HIV does, and does not, kill the host CD4 T cell that it infects is of paramount importance in an era when research is approaching a cure for infection. Three mutually exclusive pathways can lead to the death of HIV-infected cells during the HIV life cycle, before, coincident and after HIV integration and consequently may affect viral replication. We discuss the molecular mechanism underlying these pathways, the evidence supporting their roles in vivo, and contemplate how understanding these pathways might inform novel approaches to promote viral cure of HIV.