Analysis of full-length HIV type 1 env genes indicates differences between the virus infecting T cells and dendritic cells in peripheral blood of infected patients.
Dendritic cells (DC) are targets for HIV-1 infection and may harbor distinct populations of virus variants. To test this hypothesis full length env genes have been amplified and sequenced from DC and T cells purified from the blood of five symptomatic HIV-1-infected patients. For three of the patients, showing slow and slow/standard disease progression, distinct subsets of HIV variants infected DC and T cells, and the diversity of the DC-derived env genes was less than that observed in T cells. Amino acid substitutions differentiating DC and T cell variants were dispersed throughout the length of the glycoproteins and were patient/HIV-1 strain specific. However, the V1 and V2 domains of T cell-derived clones were generally shorter than those from DC. These findings suggest that there may be distinct populations of HIV-1 variants infecting blood DC and T cells in patients showing slow and slow/standard disease progression.
Daniels
R S
RS
Virology Division, National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK. rdaniel@nimr.mrc.ac.uk
Wilson
P
P
Patel
D
D
Longhurst
H
H
Patterson
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000821:virology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D015752:Genes, env; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011533:Proviruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins