Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2025

High Throughput In Vitro Assessment of Latency Reversing Agents on HIV Transcription and Splicing
Published on: January 22, 2019
Transcriptionally Active Defective HIV-1 Proviruses and Their Association With Immunological Nonresponse to
Francesca Scrimieri1, Estella Bastian2, Mindy Smith2
1Applied and Developmental Research Directorate, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, USA.
Abstract:
A subset of antiretroviral therapy-treated persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), referred to as immunological nonresponders (INRs), fails to normalize CD4+ T-cell numbers. In a case-control study involving 26 INRs (CD4 < 250 cells/µL) and 25 immunological responders (IRs; CD4 ≥ 250 cells/µL), we evaluated the potential contribution of transcriptionally competent defective HIV-1 proviruses to poor CD4+ T-cell recovery. Compared to the responders, the INRs had higher levels of cell-associated HIV RNA (P = .034) and higher percentages of HLA-DR+ CD4+ T cells (P < .001). While not encoding replication-competent viruses, the RNA transcripts frequently encoded HIV-1 Gag-p17 and Nef proteins. These transcripts and/or resulting proteins may activate pathway(s) leading to the immunological nonresponse phenotype.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Immunodeficiency Diseases
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency...
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Retroviruses
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
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...
Viral Mutations

