Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in human T cells stably expressing antisense RNA

Human T-lymphoid cell lines with constitutive intracellular expression of antisense RNA complementary to a 407-bp sequence of the 5' leader-gag region of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 were established by using a nonretroviral expression vector. In cell lines with antisense RNA expression detectable by Northern (RNA) hybridization, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication was inhibited to 88% 10 days postinfection and this inhibition lasted 3 weeks postinfection.