Genetic characterization of accessory genes from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 group O strains.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) group O strains have been described as highly divergent, compared with the vast majority of the viruses involved in the worldwide AIDS pandemic, classified in group M. To gain new insights into the diversity and genetic characteristics of group O, we have sequenced the accessory gene region (from vif to vpu) of 14 isolates. Analyses of the deduced amino acid sequences for Vif, Vpr, the first exon of Tat, and Vpu indicate that most of the functional domains of these proteins, as described for group M viruses, are highly conserved and retained among all the group O strains we have characterized. The only difference concerns the Vif phosphorylation sites, which are absent in all of the group O isolates we have sequenced; in contrast, they are well conserved in nearly all of the group M isolates, in which they play critical roles in the regulation of viral replication and infectivity. As already observed for group M isolates, the Vpu protein is also highly diverse among group O strains. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences indicate that HIV-1 group O can be separated into four different clusters, containing most of the strains we have characterized (except one, which clusters outside of the analyzed viruses). Taking into account the criteria used for clades in group M, we were not able to define group O clades definitively.
Project SIDAK, Laboratoire Rétrovirus, ORSTOM, Montpellier, France.
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Bibollet-Ruche
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Loussert-Ajaka
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Simon
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Mboup
E M
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Ngole
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Saman
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Delaporte
M
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Peeters
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016346:Gene Products, vif / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016336:Gene Products, vpr / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054320:vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D016346:Gene Products, vif; D016336:Gene Products, vpr; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054320:vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514859:vpu protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins