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Small RNAs with a big impact: microRNAs and HIV persistence Volume 26, issue 1, Janvier-Février 2022

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Authors
1 Laboratoire de rétrovirologie humaine, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, 110 avenue des Pins, Montréal, QC, Canada, H2W 1R7
2 Département de microbiologie, infectiologie et immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
* Correspondance : É.A. Cohen

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) inhibits HIV-1 replication and disease progression but does not lead to a cure. DuringART, the integrated HIV-1 genome persists mainly in memory CD4+ T lymphocytes, as well as in other immune cells, such as macrophages. Most of these cells do not produce viral particles, establishing a latent reservoir. Much progress has been made in identifying factors that contribute to the establishment and maintenance of latent reservoirs; however, they remain the main hurdle for HIV-1 eradication. In this review, we discuss the role of microRNAs in the development of the viral reservoir. These modulators of gene expression target effectors governing productive infection and have even direct impacts on viral transcripts. In this review, we consider current unresolved questions regarding host microRNAs in HIV-1 persistence, particularly those involved in viral latency. Additionally, given that current strategies have yet to effectively reduce viral reservoirs, the potential use of microRNAs to counter the persistence of latent reservoirs is also discussed.