Inhibition of protein kinase R suppresses HIV replication and integration in CD4 T cells

Evaluation of CD4 T cell status in early HIV infection is critical for developing strategies targeting HIV replication. In this study, we infected CD4 T cells with HIV-1 and investigated the cell survival mechanisms in HIV-infected versus uninfected cells during early HIV infection. Notably, HIV-infected CD4 T cells exhibited elevated levels of phosphorylated eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha (p-eIF2α) compared to uninfected cells. Importantly, inhibition of protein kinase R (PKR) in HIV-infected cells significantly suppressed HIV p24 protein expression by disrupting HIV reverse transcription and integration. These results suggest that targeting PKR could be a promising therapeutic approach against HIV infection.