Mast Cells as Reservoirs for HIV Latency

Mast Cells as Reservoirs for HIV Latency

More than a decade ago, Bannert and colleagues first reported that human mast cell (MC) progenitors are susceptible to infection with HIV-1. This finding was confirmed and extended by other groups in the following years providing in vivo evidence that tissue MCs, developing from infected human MC progenitors, remain productively infected in infected people. Moreover, evidence was shown that Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, or TLR9 stimulation of latently infected mast cells induced re-initiation of HIV-1 replication.