HIV Tropism Shift: New Paradigm on Cell Therapy Strategies for HIV Cure

CCR5 and CXCR4 are the main cellular coreceptors involved in the entry of HIV-1 into the host cells. Certain individuals possess a 32 base pair deletion in the CCR5 allele (CCR5 delta32), which produces a truncated form of this coreceptor associated with a natural resistance to HIV infection when this appears in homozygosis. These findings have inspired the design of anti-HIV drugs, such as the CCR5 antagonists (i.e. maraviroc), which block the interaction between the virus and the CCR5 coreceptor inhibiting viral entry.