Human plasma amino acid balance favours HIV-1 replication in primary CD4 T lymphocytes.

Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) enhances HIV-1 infection in primary CD4 T cells compared with RPMI, while keeping activation and viral receptor expression similar.

• Why it matters: Metabolic state shapes viral replication, but prior culture conditions may misrepresent how near-physiologic metabolite levels influence HIV-1 in primary CD4 T cells.
• What they did: Primary CD4 T cells were infected under HPLM versus RPMI, then metabolite levels were adjusted to test whether energy metabolism or amino acid balance better explained infection differences.
• The result: In this system, amino acid balance—not energy metabolism—favours HIV-1 replication, implying non-energetic metabolic pathways are key under near-physiologic conditions.

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