Minimal Requirements for Primary HIV Latency Models Based on a Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Studying the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reservoir is crucial for eradication efforts.
• In vitro primary latency models are essential due to the scarcity of latently infected cells in patients.
• Existing models vary in cell type, HIV strains, activation methods, and latency assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and compare existing in vitro primary HIV-1 latency models.
• To identify the minimal requirements for establishing effective HIV-1 latency studies.
• To propose a generalized workflow for in vitro HIV-1 latency model development.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed and Web of Science databases.
• Identification and analysis of 17 unique publications proposing novel in vitro latency models.
• Comparative analysis of model characteristics including cell types, HIV strains, activation, and readout strategies.

Main Results:

• A wide range of methodologies exist for in vitro HIV-1 latency models.
• Common characteristics and critical decision points were identified across different models.
• A generalized workflow encompassing cell selection to model readout was proposed.

Conclusions:

• Standardizing key elements in HIV-1 latency models can improve comparability and reproducibility.
• The proposed workflow provides a framework for developing and validating new in vitro models.
• Further research is needed to optimize minimal requirements for robust HIV-1 latency studies.