No association of HIV type 1 long terminal repeat sequence pattern with long-term nonprogression and in vivo viral replication levels in European subjects.
The HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) promotes and modulates proviral transcription in the infected cell. It has been suggested that truncations and even point mutations in functional sites of the LTR are associated with low viral replication and attenuated pathogenesis in HIV-1-infected long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs). We performed a detailed analysis of LTR sequences from proviral DNA of 21 Italian and Swedish, well-characterized LTNPs and of 15 progressor patients. No truncation was found and no correlation was identified between specific LTR mutations and disease progression. We also failed to find a significant correlation between phylogenetic distance and clinical status. Although HIV-1 LTR interpatient heterogeneity among LTNPs and subjects with HIV-1 RNA levels <500 copies/ml tended to be lower, no sequence mutation was correlated with in vivo viral loads. Our results suggest that HIV-1 LTR defects are rare among Italian and Swedish LTNPs.
Visco-Comandini
U
U
Department of Immunology, Microbiology, Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden. viscocomandini@mclink.it
Yun
Z
Z
Vahlne
A
A
Sönnerborg
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat / Q000235:genetics*; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral