Current therapy for HIV effectively suppresses viral replication and prolongs life, but the infection persists due, at least in part, to latent infection of long-lived cells. One favored strategy toward a cure targets latent virus in resting memory CD4(+) T cells by stimulating viral production. However, the existence of an additional reservoir in bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells has been detected in some treated HIV-infected people. This review describes approaches investigators have used to reactivate latent proviral genomes in resting CD4(+) T cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells. In addition, the authors review approaches for clearance of these reservoirs along with other important topics related to HIV eradication.
Keywords: HDAC inhibitors; HIV latency; HIV/AIDS; antiviral therapy; hematopoietic progenitor cells; resting memory CD4+ T cells.