The loud minority: Transcriptionally active HIV-1-infected cells survive, proliferate, and persist.

The shock-and-kill strategy reactivates HIV-1 latent reservoir for immune clearance. Einkauf et al. found that some HIV-1-infected cells that persist and proliferate have transcriptionally active HIV-1 in permissive chromatin. Silent proviruses in repressive chromatin resist reactivation. Understanding HIV-1-chromatin interactions and how transcriptionally active HIV-1-infected cells survive is a pressing need.