Ribosome profiling is a novel technique that uses deep sequencing to characterize the nuclease-protected footprints of ribosomes on mRNA transcripts in vivo. Protein synthesis can be monitored genome-wide and when combined with mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) provides a quantitative measure of translation efficiency.
In this collaborative proposal with Silvi Rouskin at the Whitehead Institute, we leverage an innovative technology to address important knowledge gaps in the HIV-1 eradication field and comprehensively assess LRA-induced HIV-1 translation across the genome. We will validate ribosome profiling for the study HIV-1 translation during latency reversal and Define the HIV-1 translation efficiencies in LRA-treated resting CD4+ T cells ex vivo. The goal of this proposal is to define the landscape of LRA-induced HIV-1 translation and shift current research paradigms towards the study of post-transcriptional barriers to virus latency reversal.