XReplication-competent noninduced proviruses in the latent reservoir increase barrier to HIV-1 cure

Ya Chi Ho, Liang Shan, Nina N. Hosmane, Jeffrey Wang, Sarah B. Laskey, Daniel I.S. Rosenbloom, Jun Lai, Joel N. Blankson, Janet D. Siliciano, Robert F. Siliciano

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

748 Scopus citations

Abstract

Antiretroviral therapy fails to cure HIV-1 infection because latent proviruses persist in resting CD4+ T cells. T cell activation reverses latency, but <1% of proviruses are induced to release infectious virus after maximum in vitro activation. The noninduced proviruses are generally considered defective but have not been characterized. Analysis of 213 noninduced proviral clones from treated patients showed 88.3% with identifiable defects but 11.7% with intact genomes and normal long terminal repeat (LTR) function. Using direct sequencing and genome synthesis, we reconstructed full-length intact noninduced proviral clones and demonstrated growth kinetics comparable to reconstructed induced proviruses from the same patients. Noninduced proviruses have unmethylated promoters and are integrated into active transcription units. Thus, it cannot be excluded that they may become activated in vivo. The identification of replication-competent noninduced proviruses indicates that the size of the latent reservoir - and, hence, the barrier to cure - may be up to 60-fold greater than previously estimated. PaperFlick

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)540
Number of pages1
JournalCell
Volume155
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 24 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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