title: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) diversity in HIV-HCV-coinfected subjects initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: Because of increased mortality and reduced treatment response rates in subjects coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), understanding the selection pressures underlying the evolution of HCV is important for the development of strategies to control both viruses. We therefore investigated diversity of HCV in 11 HIV-HCV-coinfected subjects initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Distinct categories of HCV virologic response to suppression of HIV were identified. The diversity of quasi species at several genomic regions was characterized over the course of a 48-week period. Consensus data suggested a shift in the virus population at all loci except the 5' untranslated region (UTR) after initiation of HAART. Intrasubject genetic distance and entropy were highest in hypervariable region (HVR)-1. In contrast, variation in the 5' UTR was limited. Positive immune selection pressure directed against HVR-1, but not other protein-coding regions, was also detected. These data suggest that there are several mechanisms by which suppression of HIV replication and a reconstituted immune system influence diversity of HCV in HIV-HCV-coinfected subjects.
authors.affiliation: Gastrointestinal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Jason T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Blackard
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bordoni
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Raymond T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D001483:Base Sequence; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral