[Study of Gag gene antigen epitypes variation and the quasispecies group characteristics in Henan area HIV-1 strains].
OBJECTIVE
To study the characteristics of the variation of antigen epitopes and quasispecies group in the HIV-1 viruses in Henan province in China.


METHODS
The region of the p17-p24 of the HIV-1 gag gene was amplified by nested polymerse chain reaction (PCR), purified products were cloned into the vector, the obtained were analyzed by MEGA soft wares.


RESULTS
B' subtype strains were predominant in Henan province, the mutations in antigen epitypes of the p17 region of the gag gene focus on E62g (55.8%), Y79f (48.9%), T84V (48.9), I44V (44.2%), the p24 region had not found the distinct mutation.


CONCLUSIONS
Both the PCR sequences and clone strains sequences demonstrated that four antigen epitopes mutations in p17 region of the HIV B' subtype gag gene, and the region of p24 was more conservative, which was suitable for development of the epitope vaccien.
State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institue for Viral Dissease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100052, China.
Peng
P
Du
Guo-Min
GM
Chen
Ze-Lin
ZL
Li
Yi
Y
Zeng
D000940:Antigenic Variation; D002681:China; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics*
D000939:Epitopes; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus