Selected Grantee Publications

CD8⁺ T Cells Promote HIV Latency by Remodeling CD4⁺ T Cell Metabolism to Enhance Their Survival, Quiescence, and Stemness

Mutascio et al., Immunity. 2023.

https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2023.03.010

An HIV reservoir persists following antiretroviral therapy, representing the main barrier to an HIV cure. Using a validated in vitro model, investigators explored the mechanism by which CD8+ T cells promote HIV latency and inhibit latency reversal in HIV-infected CD4+ T cells. They reported that CD8+ T cells favor the establishment of HIV latency by modulating metabolic, stemness, and survival pathways that correlate with the downregulation of HIV expression and promote HIV latency. In future studies, comparative analyses may provide insight into common molecular mechanisms in the silencing of HIV expression by CD8+ T cells and macrophages, which can be applied to new intervention strategies that target the HIV reservoir. Supported by ORIP (P51OD011132, S10OD026799), NIAID, NIDDK, NIDA, NHLBI, and NINDS.