Post-Translational Modifications in HIV Infection: Novel Antiretroviral Strategies

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remains a major global health burden. Untreated HIV infection leads to CD4⁺ T-cell depletion and severe immune dysfunction, resulting in opportunistic infections, neoplastic changes, and death. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is currently the standard treatment for HIV infection, but it cannot eliminate latent reservoirs. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate protein trafficking, function, and degradation, and their in-depth investigation plays a crucial role in identifying novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. PTMs exert a central regulatory role in HIV infection by both enhancing host restriction factors and contributing to latent infection. This dual role offers novel insights into potential therapeutic targets for activating latent viruses to make them visible to the immune system. This review highlights numerous PTMs associated with HIV infection, including acetylation, phosphorylation, palmitoylation, etc., and assesses their potential for curing HIV infection.