The biology of quiescent CD4 t cells, their role in HIV-1 infection and cocaine drug abuse

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of quiescent CD4+ T cells is an area of intense investigation. These cells block the early HIV life cycle resulting in a largely inefficient infection. While a series of restrictive factors have been identified to explain this phenomenon, the mechanisms are yet to be determined. Moreover, over the years, a number of immune and non-immune factors including cocaine drug abuse have been shown to lift the restriction and allow resting cells to be productively infected by HIV. In this review, we discuss the above, along with an overview of the biology of quiescent T cells. As resting T cells constitute a major portion of the viral reservoir, understanding the causes of the block to infection and the mechanisms behind alleviating the restriction will have major implications in the treatment of HIV.