Abstract
Viral isolates from 27 HIV-1-infected patients in Ghana, most of whom were symptomatic, were characterized for coreceptor usage using MT-2 and U87.CD4 cells. Irrespective of clinical status, most infections were caused by CCR5-tropic viruses although three CXCR4-tropic viruses were also found. Genotyping was performed by sequencing the gp41 region. Seven viruses clustered with subtype G reference strains, while the remaining 20 viruses clustered within the subtype A reference viruses. Most subtype A isolates clustered loosely with the CRF02_AG viruses and are described as CRF02_AG-like. The V3 loop was sequenced in selected isolates including all isolates capable of using CXCR4. The V3 region of CXCR4-using viruses contained genetic traits characteristic of CXCR4-using subtype B and C viruses, such as increased charge, the presence of positively charged residues at positions 11 and 25, and loss of a predicted glycosylation site. This study supports previous work showing that CRF02_AG is responsible for most HIV-1 infections in Ghana at this time. The predominance of CCR5-using viruses, even in symptomatic patients, suggests that CCR5-blocking strategies may be useful for prevention and treatment of HIV-1 infections in Ghana.
Publication types
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Comparative Study
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Base Sequence
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CD4 Lymphocyte Count
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Cell Line
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Female
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Ghana
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HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / chemistry
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HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / genetics
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HIV Infections / virology*
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HIV-1 / classification
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HIV-1 / genetics
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HIV-1 / isolation & purification
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HIV-1 / metabolism*
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Humans
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Infant
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Phenotype*
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Phylogeny
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Receptors, CCR5 / metabolism
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Receptors, CXCR4 / metabolism
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Retrospective Studies
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Sequence Analysis, DNA
Substances
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HIV Envelope Protein gp41
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Receptors, CCR5
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Receptors, CXCR4
Associated data
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GENBANK/DQ825459
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GENBANK/DQ825460
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GENBANK/DQ825461
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