title: The non-clonal and transitory nature of HIV in vivo.
abstract: From a posteriori analyses of genetic variation, recombination can only be identified when the parental genomes are distinct. For viruses like HIV-1, this requires the producer cell to be infected by more than one virus. Using fluorescence in situ hybridisation, the provirus copy numbers in splenocytes from two HIV-1 patients were determined. More than 75% of infected splenocytes harboured two or more proviruses, range 1-8, with a mean of approximately 3-4 per cell. Sequencing of amplified DNA from single laser micro-dissected cells showed an extraordinary degree of diversity while numerous recombinants were evident. Given the dynamics of HIV-1 turnover in vivo and a recombination rate of approximately 3 cross-overs per cycle, some genomes from a fifteen year old infection may have undergone as many cross-overs as bases in the genome. Thus, recombination profoundly influences HIV evolution and gives it a non-clonal and transitory nature in vivo.
authors: Department of Virology, University of the Saarland, Homburg, Germany.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Meyerhans
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Jung
authors: Reinhard
authors: R
authors: Maier
authors: Jean-Pierre
authors: JP
authors: Vartanian
authors: Gennady
authors: G
authors: Bocharov
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Wain-Hobson
mesh_terms: D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D011995:Recombination, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*