title: The integrated HIV-1 provirus in patient sperm chromosome and its transfer into the early embryo by fertilization.
abstract: Complete understanding of the route of HIV-1 transmission is an important prerequisite for curbing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. So far, the known routes of HIV-1 transmission include sexual contact, needle sharing, puncture, transfusion and mother-to-child transmission. Whether HIV can be vertically transmitted from human sperm to embryo by fertilization is largely undetermined. Direct research on embryo derived from infected human sperm and healthy human ova have been difficult because of ethical issues and problems in the collection of ova. However, the use of inter-specific in vitro fertilization (IVF) between human sperm and hamster ova can avoid both of these problems. Combined with molecular, cytogenetical and immunological techniques such as the preparation of human sperm chromosomes, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and immunofluorescence assay (IFA), this study mainly explored whether any integrated HIV provirus were present in the chromosomes of infected patients' sperm, and whether that provirus could be transferred into early embryos by fertilization and maintain its function of replication and expression. Evidence showed that HIV-1 nucleic acid was present in the spermatozoa of HIV/AIDS patients, that HIV-1 provirus is present on the patient sperm chromosome, that the integrated provirus could be transferred into early embryo chromosomally integrated by fertilization, and that it could replicate alongside the embryonic genome and subsequently express its protein in the embryo. These findings indicate the possibility of vertical transmission of HIV-1 from the sperm genome to the embryonic genome by fertilization. This study also offers a platform for the research into this new mode of transmission for other viruses, especially sexually transmitted viruses.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
authors.forename: Dian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lian-Bing
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Xiang-Jin
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Qing-Dong
authors.initials: QD
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xiao-jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Ming-Fu
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Bo-Lu
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zheng-Song
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Tian-Hua
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019921:Biotinylation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000821:virology; D006224:Cricetinae; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000821:virology*; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000378:metabolism; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D010063:Ovum / Q000378:metabolism; D011533:Proviruses / Q000502:physiology*; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000821:virology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000821:virology*; D016662:Virus Integration / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000378:metabolism; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus