Deletion, insertion and stop codon mutations in vif genes of HIV-1 infecting slow progressor patients.
BACKGROUND
Variable progression towards AIDS has been described and has been related to viral and host factors. Around 10% of the HIV-1 infected patients are slow progressors (SP), not presenting with AIDS disease signs even after more than 10 years of infection. Viral gene defects have been associated with the disease progression but more studies are still needed.


METHODS
The sequence of vif and nef were analyzed for HIV-1 infecting 14 SP and 46 normal progressors (NP) patients.


RESULTS
Co-circulation of a strain carrying vif deleted gene with the wild type strain was detected in an SP patient with more than 10 years of infection. Other mutations (insertion in aa 63 in one strain, two premature stop codons in another one) were found in viruses infecting two other patients. Except for the SP8 strain, which exhibited a premature stop codon in nef, no gross deletions or insertions were observed in nef genes of both NPs and SPs strains analyzed.


CONCLUSIONS
Different kind of mutation: deletion, insertion and stop codon, were detected in 3/14 samples from SP, with co-circulation of a 195 bp vif deletion virus with a wild type in one of these patients. Although vif defects do not seem to be a frequent feature in SPs, this study illustrates the importance of analysing this gene, in addition to the multiple factors associated with the long-term non progression to AIDS.
Rangel
Héctor Rafael
HR
Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Apdo. 20632, Caracas 1020-A, Venezuela.
Garzaro
Domingo
D
Rodríguez
Anny Karely
AK
Ramírez
Alvaro Hernán
AH
Ameli
Gladys
G
Del Rosario Gutiérrez
Cristina
C
Pujol
Flor Helene
FH
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics; D054320:vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics*
D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514837:nef protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D054320:vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C514847:vif protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1