Kant, Sanket <br/><br/>
Contribution of natural killer cells to HIV control in elite controllers 

 -  2022.<br/>							 
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<br/><br/> Untreated HIV infection usually leads to disease progression and development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). A rare subset of people living with HIV control it without anti-retroviral therapy. These individuals, known as elite controllers (ECs), are examples of a functional HIV cure. ECs differ from non-controllers in many aspects. Some are infected with a defective form of the virus, most have potent CD4 and CD8 virus-specific T cell responses, and proviruses in some of these individuals tend to be inserted into regions with characteristics of deep latency. Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that function at the intersection of innate and adaptive immunity. They have the capacity to recognize and respond to HIV-infected cells from the earliest stages of infection. NK cells can be activated via antibody-independent and antibody-dependent mechanisms in order to perform antiviral functions that control HIV and kill infected cells. This manuscript will review the role of NK cells in HIV control.