title: [Study on the relationship between the polymorphisms and secondary structure of tat exon-1 gene and HIV/ AIDS progress in subtype B' and B'/C].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the polymorphisms and secondary structure of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) tat exon 1 among subtype B' and B'/C HIV-1 infected people in China and to explore the relationship between the polymorphism of tat exon 1 and the disease progression.
  
  
  METHODS
  8 subtype B' and 5 B'/C HIV-1 infected patients with slow disease progression were selected from Liaoning, Jilin and Yunnan province. 26 subtype B' and 9 B'/C HIV-1 infected patients with similar sex, age but with typical disease progression were selected. Provirus was extracted from the whole blood. The gene sequences of the Tat exon 1 were amplified by nest-polymerase chain reaction (nest-PCR). Products were purified and sequenced directly. The sequences were aligned, translated, amino acid substitution were analyzed and secondary structures were predicted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many amino acid substitution could be found in the exon 1 of Tat in HIV-1 subtype B' and B'/C recombinant strain infected persons with different disease progression except A58T,none of them showed definitely relationship with HIV viral load and disease progression. 23N, 31S, 32Y and 46F were subtype-specific substitutions. No characteristic secondary structure of exon 1 of Tat was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some of the mutations of tat exon 1 might be related to HIV viral load and disease progression. However, there was no relationship found between the secondary structure of Tat protein and the disease progression.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Immunology of AIDS, Ministry of Health, the First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-xu
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zi-ning
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ying-ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.forename: Wen-qing
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shang
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D018450:Disease Progression; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D015756:Genes, tat / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins