2019/08/21 by Gabriela De Nardi Sanches-da-Silva, Luiza Fonseca Sales Medeiros, Fábio Mitsuo Lima · 12 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Business, Management and Accounting · Medicine · #Biology #CRISPR #CRISPR and Genetic Engineering #Computational biology #Gene #Genetic enhancement #Genetics #Genome #Genome editing #Guide RNA #Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) #Innovation and Socioeconomic Development #Mosquito-borne diseases and control #Nuclease #Provirus #Viral replication #Virology #Virus
paper · pdf · doi:10.1155/2019/8458263
published in International Journal of Genomics 2019, 1-14 (Hindawi Publishing Corporation)
openalex publication_date 2019/08/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
T lymphocytes are the main target, leading to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Despite advances in pharmacological treatment, it is still difficult to eliminate latent reservoirs, becoming one of the main obstacles for viral eradication. The CRISPR- (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-) Cas system is a genome-editing method which uses a guide RNA, a complementary sequence to the interested site, recruiting a nuclease that can break the viral or the host cell genetic material. From this double-stranded break, cellular repair mechanisms are activated being able to generate deletions, insertions, or substitutions, in order to inactivate specific gene loci, leading to loss of function. The objective of this minireview is to synthesize the current knowledge on the application of CRISPR-Cas-based gene therapy for HIV-1. The strategies encompass all steps of the viral infection cycle, from inhibition of cell invasion, through viral replication and integration inhibition, to excision of the latent provirus. Off-target effects and ethical implications were also discussed to evaluate the safety of the approach and viability of its application in humans, respectively. Although preclinical and clinical tests are still needed, the recent results establish an exciting possibility of applying this technology for prophylaxis and treatment of HIV-1.