HIV Reservoirs in the Brain

	HIV infected macrophages and multinucleated giant cells.

HIV infection of the brain occurs early in the course of infection. The virus infects brain macrophages where it causes a productive infection and astrocytes where the virus becomes latent upon infection. However, the latent virus may be stimulated by cytokines to produce a transient burst of viral replication.Since th turnover of astrocytes is little during the lifetime of an individual, these cells are an ideal reservoir for the virus. However, the fundamental aspects of regulation of the viral genome by the astocyte are not understood. If there is any hope of ever developing a cure for the virus, it is imperative that we develop a better understanding of the mechanisms by which host genes in astrocytes suppress viral replication. Efforts in our laboratory are focused in defining the unique interactions between the Tat protein of HIV and select nuclear proteins expressed in astrocytes.