Skip to main content
. 2021 Mar 18;12:636642. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.636642

FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2

LEDGIN-mediated retargeting provides a “block-and-lock” functional cure. LEDGF/p75 binds to the viral IN and targets the HIV-1 PIC to the chromatin via interaction with H3K36me3 (upper left part). LEDGINs inhibit the LEDGF/p75-IN interaction and retarget integration (upper right part). LEDGF/p75-independent integration in the presence of LEDGINs results in relatively more proviruses that are in a transcriptionally silent or latent state, compared to LEDGF/p75-dependent integration (middle part). After latency reversal, latently infected cells rebound, resulting in reactivation of HIV-1 gene expression (lower left part). In contrast, LEDGIN-mediated retargeting results in a cellular reservoir that is resistant to reactivation after latency reversal. LEDGIN-mediated retargeting provides a potential “block-and-lock” functional cure strategy. LEDGF/p75, lens-epithelium-derived growth factor; IN, integrase; PIC, pre-integration complex; figure created with BioRender.com.