Significant Genetic and Antigenic Variability within the env Gene of Systemic Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Group O Populations during the Natural Course of a Heterosexual Infection: a Pilot Study

• Published in: Journal of Clinical Microbiology Vol. 45; no. 4; pp. 1319 - 1321
• Main Authors: Andréoletti, Laurent, Réveil, Brigitte, Moret, Hélène, Brodard, Véronique, Philbert, Frédérique, Tabary, Thierry, Cohen, Jacques Henri Max
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.04.2007
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Amino Acid Substitution - genetics; Antigenic Variation - genetics; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blood - virology; Epitopes - genetics; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, env; Genetic Variation; Heterosexuality; HIV Envelope Protein gp120 - genetics; HIV Envelope Protein gp41 - genetics; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - classification; HIV-1 - genetics; HIV-1 - isolation & purification; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Pilot Projects; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Virology; Immunopathology; Genetic variability; Microbiology; HIV-1 virus; Retroviridae; AIDS; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; Infection; Virus; Gene; Viral disease; Human immunodeficiency virus
• ISSN: 0095-1137; 1098-660X; 1098-5530
• DOI: 10.1128/JCM.01818-06

We assessed the genetic and the antigenic variability within the env gene of peripheral blood human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) group O populations during the natural course of a female heterosexual infection. Our data revealed the existence of a significant increase in amino acid sequence variability within the C2-V3 and gp41 regions (P = 0.023 and P < 0.001, respectively) in association with substitutions within neutralizing epitope sequences usually selected for HIV serological assays. These antigenic variations might significantly decrease the sensitivity of classical HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with blood samples of subjects heterosexually infected by HIV-1 group O strains. These findings may be of significant use both to devise diagnostic tools and to pursue suitable therapeutic modalities in cases of heterosexual infection by outlier HIV-1 strains.