Identification of a newly characterized HIV-1 BG intersubtype circulating recombinant form in Galicia, Spain, which exhibits a pseudotype-like virion structure

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) Vol. 29; no. 5; p. 536
• Main Authors: Delgado, Elena, Thomson, Michael M, Villahermosa, María Luisa, Sierra, María, Ocampo, Antonio, Miralles, Celia, Rodríguez-Pérez, Raúl, Diz-Aren, Julio, Ojea-de Castro, Rafael, Losada, Elena, Cuevas, María Teresa, Vázquez-de Parga, Elena, Carmona, Rocío, Pérez-Alvarez, Lucía, Medrano, Leandro, Cuevas, Laureano, Taboada, José Antonio, Nájera, Rafael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 15.04.2002
• Subjects: Female; Genome, Viral; HIV Envelope Protein gp120 - genetics; HIV Envelope Protein gp41 - genetics; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - classification; HIV-1 - genetics; Humans; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Recombination, Genetic; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Spain - epidemiology; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications; Virion; Spain
• ISSN: 1525-4135
• DOI: 10.1097/00126334-200204150-00016

We recently reported the finding of phylogenetically related HIV-1 BG intersubtype recombinant and G subtype nonrecombinant viruses circulating among injecting drug users in the region of Galicia in northwestern Spain. Here, we report the characterization of near full-length genome sequences of nine of these viruses (seven BG recombinant and two of nonrecombinant G subtype), obtained from epidemiologically unlinked individuals. Bootscan analysis reveals that six recombinant viruses share an identical mosaic structure, with two intersubtype breakpoints delimiting a B subtype segment comprising most of Env gp120 and the external portion of Env gp41, with the remaining portions of the genome being of subtype G, thus mimicking a pseudotype virion structure. The seventh BG recombinant virus exhibits breakpoints in env coincident with the other BG viruses but contains additional B subtype segments in gag and pol. In phylogenetic trees of complete genomes and of the B subtype segment of env, all seven BG viruses group in a monophyletic cluster. G subtype portions of the BG viruses group uniformly with the newly derived nonrecombinant G subtype viruses of Galicia in bootscan analysis, which points to the locally circulating G subtype strain as parental of the recombinants. These results allow us to define a new HIV-1 circulating recombinant form (CRF14_BG), the first reported to originate in Western Europe.