title: Distinct sequence patterns characterize the V3 region of HIV type 1 gp120 from subtypes A and C.
abstract: The known sequences of HIV-1 viruses have been categorized into subtypes based on the phylogenetic partitioning of their env and gag gene sequences. The env gene encodes the protein gp120, which contains five sequence- variable regions (V1 to V5), of which the V3 loop is of central importance to viral infectivity. The V3 loop consensus sequences of HIV-1 subtype A and C viruses are similar, and more similar to one another than the V3 consensus sequences of any other two HIV-1 subtypes. However, using a position-specific statistical comparison, we found that the V3 region of these two subtypes is statistically distinct (p = approximately 0.0). (The p-value calculated to the lowest limit of representation on the computer used to run the calculation. This lowest limit was 10(16). Although theoretically a p-value cannot be equal to 0.0, the p-value for the comparisons in question can be intuitively considered to be extremely small, or approximately 0.0.).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine and the New York Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, New York 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Felsövályi
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nádas
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zolla-Pazner
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cardozo
mesh_terms: D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein; D040681:Structural Homology, Protein
chemical_list: D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120