An Evaluation on the Role of Non-Coding RNA in HIV Transcription and Latency: A Review

The existence of latent cellular reservoirs is recognized as the major barrier to an HIV cure. Reactivating and eliminating “shock and kill” or permanently silencing “block and lock” the latent HIV reservoir, as well as gene editing, remain promising approaches, but so far have proven to be only partially successful. Moreover, using latency reversing agents or “block and lock” drugs pose additional considerations, including the ability to cause cellular toxicity, a potential lack of specificity for HIV, or low potency when each agent is used alone. RNA molecules, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are becoming increasingly recognized as important regulators of gene expression. RNA-based approaches for combatting HIV latency represent a promising strategy since both miRNAs and lncRNAs are more cell-type and tissue specific than protein coding genes. Thus, a higher specificity of targeting the latent HIV reservoir with less overall cellular toxicity can likely be achieved. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about HIV gene expression regulation by miRNAs and lncRNAs encoded in the human genome, as well as regulatory molecules encoded in the HIV genome. We discuss both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of HIV gene expression to align with the current definition of latency, and describe RNA molecules that either promote HIV latency or have anti-latency properties. Finally, we provide perspectives on using each class of RNAs as potential targets for combatting HIV latency, and describe the complexity of the interactions between different RNA molecules, their protein targets, and HIV.