A human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected individual with low viral load harbors a virus variant that exhibits an in vitro RNA dimerization defect.
We investigated the in vitro RNA dimerization properties of the untranslated leader RNA derived from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variants circulating in an individual with a low viral load and slow disease progression. The leader sequences of these viruses contain highly unusual polymorphisms within the dimerization initiation site (DIS): an insert that abolishes dimerization and a compensatory substitution. The dimerization of leader RNA from late stages of infection is further improved by additional mutations outside the DIS motif that facilitate a secondary structure switch from a dimerization-incompetent to a dimerization-competent RNA conformation.
Huthoff
Hendrik
H
Department of Human Retrovirology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Das
Atze T
AT
Vink
Monique
M
Klaver
Bep
B
Zorgdrager
Fokla
F
Cornelissen
Marion
M
Berkhout
Ben
B
D001483:Base Sequence; D019281:Dimerization; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019562:Viral Load
D012367:RNA, Viral