Antibody to HIV-1 Tat protein, a key molecule in HIV-1 pathogenesis. A brief review

In the last few years, literature reports have unequivocally established that the 86-101 aminoacid Tat protein, essential for an efficient viral replication, can be actively secreted by infected cells. The contribution of extracellular Tat to the progression of viral infection is underlined by the ability of neutralizing anti Tat antibody to reduce the viral load in vitro and possibly also in vivo. Considering that at least some of the effect of Tat protein seem to be the consequence of an autocrine loop and that anti Tat antibody is an efficient inhibitor of viral replication, it is reasonable to suppose that extracellular Tat play a functional role in HIV-1 infection and that HIV antibody may interfere with a possible Tat driven pathogenesis. This review explores the meaning of anti Tat antibody in vitro and in vivo and its importance to shed more light on viral pathogenesis and the recent development of Tat containing vaccine.