Construction of an infectious HIV type 1 molecular clone from an African patient with a subtype D/C Recombinant Virus

AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2004 Sep;20(9):1015-8. doi: 10.1089/aid.2004.20.1015.

Abstract

The majority of HIV-1 infections worldwide occur in Africa, where subtype B viruses are rare and intersubtype recombinants are common. Pathogenesis and vaccine studies need to focus on viruses derived from African patients, and infectious HIV-1 molecular clones can be useful tools. To clone non-B subtypes and recombinant viruses from patients, we cultivated HIV-1 from the plasma of a Kenyan long-term survivor. Viral DNA was cloned into a plasmid, which was transfected into COS cells; progeny virus was propagated in PBMCs. Sequence analyses revealed that both the patient's plasma HIV-1 RNA and the cloned DNA genomes were recombinants between subtypes D and C; subtype C sequences comprised the nef and LTR regions. The cloned virus used the CCR5 coreceptor and did not form syncytia in vitro. This infectious HIV-1 subtype D/C recombinant molecular clone obtained from a Kenyan long-term survivor promises to be useful to study pathogenesis and vaccine design.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COS Cells
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Cloning, Molecular*
  • DNA, Viral / analysis
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • Female
  • HIV Long-Term Survivors
  • HIV-1 / classification
  • HIV-1 / genetics*
  • HIV-1 / pathogenicity*
  • Humans
  • Kenia
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Plasmids
  • Recombination, Genetic*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Transfection

Substances

  • DNA, Viral

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AY445524