Human immunodeficiency virus isolates from asymptomatic homosexual men and from AIDS patients have distinct biologic and genetic properties.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates from asymptomatic homosexual men and AIDS patients were compared for their in vitro biologic and genetic properties. Most of the HIV-1 isolates from asymptomatic men, but not from AIDS patients, failed to infect CD4+ H9 cells and phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes. In a longitudinal study, serial HIV-1 isolates obtained from men who seroconverted to HIV-1 and later developed AIDS were able to infect H9 cells. In contrast, longitudinal isolates from men who remained asymptomatic did not infect H9 cells. HIV-1 isolates from AIDS patients in general exhibited increased production of intracellular viral DNA, RNA, and protein as compared to isolates from asymptomatic men. Cells infected with HIV-1 isolates from asymptomatic men produced very little gp120, p24, and p55 proteins as compared to those from AIDS patients. The overall restriction patterns of HindIII, Sac-1, Pst-1, EcoR1, and BamH1 were very similar between HIV-1 isolates from asymptomatic men and those from AIDS patients. However, the restriction endonuclease pattern of BglII was quite distinct for isolates from asymptomatic men as compared to AIDS patients. Preliminary studies mapped a unique BglII site in the gag region of most of the isolates from asymptomatic men, approximately 2.0 kb from the 5' end. Thus, HIV-1 isolates from asymptomatic subjects and from AIDS patients have distinct biologic and genetic properties which may be related to the various clinical outcomes of HIV-1 infection.
Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261.
R
R
Balachandran
P
P
Thampatty
A
A
Enrico
C
C
Rinaldo
P
P
Gupta
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000378:metabolism; D015750:Genes, gag; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000378:metabolism; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000382:microbiology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000201:enzymology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C059767:p55 gag precursor protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; C024404:BglII endonuclease; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific