In vitro gene-editing map pinpoints HIV host factors in primary CD4+ T cells

Gladstone Institutes and UCSF published a genome-wide CRISPR screen mapping human genes that either promote or restrict HIV infection in primary CD4+ T cells. Using optimized infection conditions to raise infection rates to about 70%, the team ran CRISPRa and knockout screens and reported a first-of-its-kind host–virus blueprint for immune cells that are the virus’s actual in-body target.