Exploiting a rodent cell block for intrinsic resistance to HIV-1 gene expression in human T cells.

Unlike humans, mice are unable to support HIV-1 infection. This is due, in part, to a constellation of defined minor, species-specific differences in conserved host proteins needed for viral gene expression. Here, we used precision CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to engineer a "mousified" version of one such host protein, cyclin T1 (CCNT1), in human T cells.