title: Molecular characterization of tat gene and long terminal repeat region of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 detected among the injecting drug users (IDUs) of Manipur, India: identification of BC recombinants.
abstract: The tat gene of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is responsible for the initiation and elongation of viral transcription through the LTR (long terminal repeat) transactivation process. Our study included structural and functional analyses of the tat gene and LTR region of 35 injecting drug users (IDUs) from Manipur (a north-eastern state in India and a potential source of HIV-1 recombinants) in order to search for the recombinants and variation in the transactivation process if any due to recombination. Analysis showed prevalence of subtype C with few BC recombinants for the tat gene showing identical recombination breakpoints. Phylogenetic analysis of the LTR region of those IDU strains showed strong resemblance to Indian subtype C forming a completely separate cluster from the other global C LTR sequences. The TAR element (transactivator response region) in all the LTR sequences was fairly conserved. Further study of the transactivation rate of the C and BC tat for the Manipur C LTR showed almost equal transactivity in both the cases. This is the first report of characterisation of tat gene and LTR region of HIV-1 samples among IDUs from north-eastern India.
authors.affiliation: HIV/AIDS Research Laboratory, Divison of Virology, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, P-33, C.I.T. Road, Scheme-XM, Beliaghata, Kolkata 700010, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Ranajoy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mullick
authors.forename: Satarupa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sengupta
authors.forename: Kamalesh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: Sekhar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D016325:HIV Long Terminal Repeat / Q000235:genetics*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus