Evaluation of HIV-1 ambiguous nucleotide frequency during antiretroviral treatment interruption.
Nucleotide mixtures in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) population sequences reflect sequence diversity. We evaluated gag and pol ambiguous nucleotide frequencies during an analytic treatment interruption (ATI) in an HIV-1 therapeutic vaccine study. The proportion of ambiguous nucleotides was significantly higher at ATI week 16 than at either the time of first detectable viremia (P < 0.001 gag and P = 0.03 reverse transcriptase) or preantiretroviral therapy (P = 0.007 gag). No significant differences were observed in the proportion of ambiguous nucleotides between those receiving vaccine and placebo. Increased HIV diversity during the ATI may represent a potentially higher barrier to success for a therapeutic as compared with a preventative vaccine targeting cell-mediated immunity.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 65 Landsdowne Street, Room 435, Cambridge, MA, USA. Jli22@partners.org
Jonathan Z
JZ
Li
Julie A
JA
Christensen
Hongying
H
Wang
John
J
Spritzler
Daniel R
DR
Kuritzkes
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010919:Placebos / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D028761:Withholding Treatment; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D010919:Placebos; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus