Language
English
Publication Date
7-16-2025
Journal
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
DOI
10.1093/infdis/jiaf373
PMID
40668935
PMCID
PMC12746608
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
12-30-2025
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Author MSS
Abstract
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) establishes persistent infection by integrating its proviral DNA into the host genome. While most integrated proviruses are defective, a small portion of proviruses are intact that represent a major obstacle to achieving an HIV cure. We have designed an approach for selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent HIV (SECH), through inhibition of autophagy and anti-apoptotic molecules during viral reactivation. However, the effects of SECH on the dynamics of intact and defective HIV provirus remain unclear.
Methods: We isolated DNA from HIV-infected samples after SECH treatments. We analyzed HIV-1 proviruses in these samples by intact proviral DNA assay, near full-length PCR and DNA sequencing analyses.
Results: We show that SECH treatments reduce reservoirs harboring intact but not defective HIV proviruses by intact proviral DNA assays. Nested PCR and DNA sequencing analyses confirm that SECH treatments can delete full-length HIV-1 proviruses in humanized mice in vivo, and in patient samples ex vivo.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that the SECH method is capable of effectively targeting HIV reservoirs harboring intact HIV proviruses that can restart active viral replication.
Keywords
HIV, provirus, apoptosis, autophagy
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Li, Min; Truong, Khanghy; Sharma, Suman; et al., "Elimination of HIV Reservoirs Harboring Intact Proviruses" (2025). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 6308.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/6308