Genetic and antigenic variability of HIV type 1 in Brazil

• Published in: AIDS research and human retroviruses Vol. 10; no. 9; p. 1157
• Main Authors: Couto-Fernandez, J C, Janssens, W, Heyndrickx, L, Motte, J, Fransen, K, Peeters, M, Delaporte, E, Galvão-Castro, B, Piot, P, van der Groen, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.1994
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - blood; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - virology; Amino Acid Sequence; Brazil; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Gene Products, env - chemistry; Gene Products, env - genetics; Genes, env; Genetic Variation; Genotype; Geography; HIV Antibodies - immunology; HIV-1 - genetics; HIV-1 - immunology; HIV-1 - isolation & purification; Humans; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Brazil; South America; Americas; Clinical Research; Laboratory Examinations And Diagnoses; Brazil; Viral Diseases; Research Report; Developing Countries; Hiv Infections; Examinations And Diagnoses; Diseases; Latin America
• ISSN: 0889-2229
• DOI: 10.1089/aid.1994.10.1157

Six Brazilian strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) were isolated from infected individuals residing in different regions of Brazil between 1987 and 1989. Phylogenetic analysis based on an 860-base pair env fragment, including V3, V4, V5, and the beginning of gp41, classified the Brazilian strains significantly in genotype B, with interhost distances between 5.9 and 13.1% (mean value, 10%). Amino acid sequence analysis of the V3 loop revealed that three strains contained the North American/European GPGR motif as the tip of the loop whereas in the other three strains proline (P) was substituted by tryptophan (W), methionine (M), or phenylalanine (F). A consensus peptide, Bra-cons, was designed containing GWGR as the tip of the loop. Serological reactivity to the Bra-cons peptide and other V3 peptides (MN, SF2, HBX2, RF, MAL, ELI, Z6, and a Côte d'Ivoire peptide, CI-cons) was compared for 114 HIV-1-positive sera from Rio de Janeiro. Sixty-nine sera (60.5%) reacted with peptides belonging to genotype B, of which 10 sera also reacted with peptides belonging to genotype A (n = 7) and D (n = 3). Eighteen sera (15.8%) had binding antibodies to the Bra-cons peptide. A high number of sera (n = 43; 37.7%) had no antibodies to any of the V3 peptides tested. This result suggests that HIV-1 variants with aberrant V3 loops may circulate in Rio de Janeiro.