Figure 1. Potential outcomes of latent infection in a hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell versus a T cell.

A. Diagram representing conceivable fates of a hematopoietic progenitor with an integrated viral genome (purple). An infected HSPC can maintain or expand the pool of latently infected cells through remaining quiescent or proliferating without differentiation. With stimulation by cytokines or reactivation agents, the HSPC could go from a latent to an actively infected state, where cell death could be induced, virus could be produced to infect other cells, and new virions could contribute to plasma virus. An HSPC could theoretically differentiate into a mature hematopoietic cell such as a T cell and retain viral DNA. B. A latently infected T cell could persist through maintenance or homeostatic proliferation. With reversal of latency, the actively infected T cell could die, infect additional cells, and release virus into the periphery. HSPC: hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell