Renal epithelium is a previously unrecognized site of HIV-1 infection

The striking emergence of an epidemic of HIV-related renal disease in patie nts with end-stage renal disease provided the rationale for the exploration of whether HIV-1 directly infects renal parenchymal cells. Renal glomerula r and tubular epithelial cells contain HIV-1 mRNA and DNA, indicating infec tion by HIV-1. In addition, circularized viral DNA, a marker of recent nucl ear import of full-length, reverse-transcribed RNA, was detected in the bio psies, suggesting active replication in renal tissue. Infiltrating infected leukocytes harbored more viral mRNA than renal epithelium. Identification of this novel reservoir suggests that effectively targeting the kidney with antiretrovirals may be critical for patients who are seropositive with ren al disease. Thus, renal epithelium constitutes a unique and previously unre cognized cell target for HIV-1 infection.