title: HIV colonizing peripheral blood monocytes follows lymphocytic isolates in shifting from NSI to SI genotype.
abstract: Non-syncytium inducing (NSI) and syncytium inducing (SI) variants of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could be definitely typed by sequence analysis of the env-gene V3 region. It was thus possible to compare the genotypes of viral variants isolated from PBMC and accompanying monocyte cultures and those derived directly from the patients' blood cells prior to cultivation. Within the investigated group of patients it was shown that HIV variants colonizing monocytes displayed a similar shift from NSI to SI as observed previously for PBMC, i.e. lymphocyte derived isolates. Lymphocytic SI variants could be isolated from the blood of patients, while simultaneously the predominant provirus in both blood and monocytic isolate was NSI. Consequently, we observed a delayed switch in the predominant provirus genotype found in blood which was associated with a synchronous change in the genotype of the corresponding monocytic isolate. The results show that monocytes/macrophages can be colonized by heterogeneous HIV variants in vivo and can therefore also function as carriers for the spread of highly virulent SI variants into the tissues.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Witt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rolf
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Matz
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Schneweis
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments