Modulation of epigenetic factors during the early stages of HIV-1 infection in CD4+ T cells in vitro

Several studies have related epigenetic mechanisms to HIV-1 latency. However, the epigenetic modifications of the host cell genome involved in the early stages of HIV-1 infection remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate epigenetic factors that are regulated at the beginning of HIV-1 infection in activated and resting CD4⁺ T cells. We analyzed the gene expression of 84 epigenetic targets, global DNA methylation, and HIV-1 replication kinetics for 36 h after infecting CD4⁺ T cells obtained from the blood of twelve healthy donors. The epigenetic targets aurora kinase B (AURKB), aurora kinase C (AURKC) and DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B), and the global DNA methylation profile are regulated during HIV-1 replication in CD4⁺ T cells, and this regulation can be influenced by the activation state of the cell at the time of infection. Approaches that affect the expression of these epigenetic targets could help current strategies to suppress HIV-1 replication.