Are T cells the only HIV-1 reservoir?
Abraham Joseph Kandathil1, Sho Sugawara1, Ashwin Balagopal2
1Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, 855 N. Wolfe Street, Rm. 535, Baltimore, MD, 21025, USA.
Abstract:
Current antiretroviral therapies have improved the duration and quality of life of people living with HIV-1. However, viral reservoirs impede complete eradication of the virus. Although there are many strategies to eliminate infectious virus, the most actively pursued are latency reversing agents in conjunction with immune modulation. This strategy, known as "shock and kill", has been tested primarily against the most widely recognized HIV-1 latent reservoir found in resting memory CD4+ T cells. This is in part because of the dearth of conclusive evidence about the existence of non-T cell reservoirs. Studies of non-T cell reservoirs have been difficult to interpret because of technical and biological issues that have hampered a better understanding. This review considers the current knowledge of non-T cell reservoirs, the challenges encountered in a better understanding of these populations, and their implications for HIV-1 cure research.
Related Concept Videos
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...


