title: Isolation and partial characterization of an unusual human immunodeficiency retrovirus from two persons of west-central African origin.
abstract: An unusual human retrovirus was isolated from two patients with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy who originate from West-Central Africa and are currently residing in Belgium. Although the virus shared a number of the same biological and morphological properties as human immunodeficiency retrovirus type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2, significant antigenic differences could be demonstrated. Several of the viral proteins also differed in molecular weight from the corresponding HIV-1 and HIV-2 proteins. Partial chemical cleavage of the most highly conserved viral proteins resulted in patterns which differed from those of HIV-1 and HIV-2. Furthermore, nucleic acid hybridization experiments were capable of discriminating between the virus types. Sequence analysis of the viral U3 region revealed a unique enhancer organization not found in other immunodeficiency viruses. The data indicated that the new isolate is more closely related to HIV-1 than to HIV-2 but clearly differs in a number of important respects.
authors.affiliation: Innogenetics N.V., Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Leys
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vanderborght
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanden Haesevelde
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heyndrickx
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Geel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wauters
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernaerts
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nijs
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Willems
mesh_terms: D000350:Africa, Central; D000354:Africa, Western; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006678:HIV / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins