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Brain HIV-1 latently-infected reservoirs targeted by the suicide gene strategy

Sepideh Saeb1,2, Mehrdad Ravanshad3, Mahmoud Reza Pourkarim4

  • 1Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Virology Journal
|June 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

A novel gene suicide strategy shows promise for eliminating latent HIV-1 reservoirs in brain microglial cells, a critical step toward a functional cure for HIV.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Virology

Background:

  • HIV-1 reservoirs, particularly in resting CD4+ T cells and brain microglial cells, impede functional cure.
  • Infected microglial cells contribute to viral rebound and drug resistance.
  • Eradicating HIV-1 from the central nervous system is challenging due to microglial cell properties and the brain environment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a novel gene suicide strategy for eliminating latent HIV-1 reservoirs in microglial cells.
  • To address the limitations of current HIV-1 eradication methods in the brain.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized latently HIV-1 infected microglial cells as a model system.
  • Designed and implemented an original gene suicide strategy targeting these cells.

Main Results:

  • Provided proof of concept for the efficacy of the proposed gene suicide strategy.
  • Demonstrated the potential for eliminating infected microglial cells from brain reservoirs.

Conclusions:

  • The developed gene suicide strategy offers a new approach for targeting and eliminating HIV-1 reservoirs in the brain.
  • This strategy may overcome the challenges associated with current methods for HIV-1 eradication in the central nervous system.
Keywords:
HIV-1Latent reservoirsMicroglialSuicide gene

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