Figure 6. HIV-1 infection in lymphatic tissue is determined by a balance of factors that increase or decrease virus replication.

In this hypothetical model, HIV-1 replication within lymphatic tissue is largely determined by a balance of factors that support or inhibit virus replication. Supportive determinants include target cell availability, cell activation, and intracellular intrinsic factors that promote a favorable transcriptional/translational environment. These supportive determinants are counterbalanced by inhibitory determinants such as innate and adaptive immune responses as well as intracellular host restriction factors that suppress virus replication. This delicate balance, though, is altered by inflammation, a chemotactic response that recruits susceptible target cells to sites of infection, and chronic immune activation required to maintain immune defenses, ultimately tipping the scale towards continued HIV-1 replication and pathology.