title: Characterization of five nearly full-length genomes of early HIV type 1 strains in Ruili city: implications for the genesis of CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC circulating in China.
abstract: To trace the genesis of HIV-1 CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC, two predominant circulating recombinants among intravenous drug users in China, a retrospective molecular epidemiological investigation (1996-1998) was conducted in Ruili city of Yunnan, where the first AIDS epidemic among IDUs was reported in 1989. Fifty-four HIV-1 env C2V3 sequences were determined and genotyped with 49 subtype B and only 5 subtype C strains. The nearly full-length genome analyses of these five env-based subtype C samples revealed that four of them were actually BC recombinants and only one was pure subtype C. The first identified nonrecombinant HIV-1 subtype C, genetically close to Indian C representatives, provided direct evidence for the hypothesis that subtype C in China was introduced from India. Interestingly, three BC recombinants with subtype B as backbones were identified; one BC recombinant that precisely shared a common subtype B segment (nef region) with CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC was described, which indicated a close evolutionary relationship to these two CRFs. The sequences undoubtedly lead us to a better understanding of the emergence of CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC.
authors.affiliation: National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhaozhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yijuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Quanbi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jianqing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yiming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015686:Gene Products, env