MAPK8 and Obesity: While RBP4 is mainly produced in the liver, it is also an adipocytokine linked to obesity and insulin resistance.52 Obese children and adult individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes have significantly higher RBP4 levels compared with lean healthy controls.53 Notably, the mechanisms involved in reactivation of latent HIV-1, activation of NF-κB, JNK, and JAK/STAT signaling, contribute to the detrimental effects of RBP4 on insulin sensitivity.29,37 Thus, the latent HIV-1 reservoirs may be altered in obese PLWH.