The role of tunneling nanotubes during early stages of HIV infection and reactivation: implications in HIV cure

Silvana Valdebenito; Akira Ono; Libin Rong; Eliseo A Eugenin

doi:10.1515/nipt-2022-0015

The role of tunneling nanotubes during early stages of HIV infection and reactivation: implications in HIV cure

NeuroImmune Pharm Ther. 2023 Jan 4;2(2):169-186. doi: 10.1515/nipt-2022-0015. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Silvana Valdebenito¹, Akira Ono², Libin Rong³, Eliseo A Eugenin¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurobiology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, TX, USA.
² Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³ Department of Mathematics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Abstract

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), also called cytonemes or tumor microtubes, correspond to cellular processes that enable long-range communication. TNTs are plasma membrane extensions that form tubular processes that connect the cytoplasm of two or more cells. TNTs are mostly expressed during the early stages of development and poorly expressed in adulthood. However, in disease conditions such as stroke, cancer, and viral infections such as HIV, TNTs proliferate, but their role is poorly understood. TNTs function has been associated with signaling coordination, organelle sharing, and the transfer of infectious agents such as HIV. Here, we describe the critical role and function of TNTs during HIV infection and reactivation, as well as the use of TNTs for cure strategies.

Keywords: HIV; gap junctions; reactivation; reservoirs; tunneling nanotubes; virological synapses.

Publication types

Review