HIV-2 capsids distinguish high and low virus load patients in a West African community cohort

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 28; no. S2; pp. B60 - B67
• Main Authors: Onyango, Clayton O., Leligdowicz, Aleksandra, Yokoyama, Masaru, Sato, Hironori, Song, Haihan, Nakayama, Emi E., Shioda, Tatsuo, de Silva, Thushan, Townend, John, Jaye, Assan, Whittle, Hilton, Rowland-Jones, Sarah, Cotten, Matthew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 26.05.2010; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; AIDS; Allergy and Immunology; Antiviral Restriction Factors; Capsid; Capsid - virology; Carrier Proteins - metabolism; Cohort Studies; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - metabolism; Guinea-Bissau; HIV; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-2; HIV-2 - genetics; HIV-2 - pathogenicity; HIV-2 - physiology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human immunodeficiency virus 1; Human immunodeficiency virus 2; Humans; Infections; Models, Molecular; Patients; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Plasma; Polymerase chain reaction; Polymorphism, Genetic; RNA, Viral - genetics; Sequence Analysis, Protein; Studies; TRIM5α; Tripartite Motif Proteins; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Viral Load; Virus Replication; Viruses; Guinea-Bissau; Guinea Bissau; Capsid; TRIM5α; HIV-2
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.08.060

HIV-2 causes AIDS similar to HIV-1, however a considerable proportion of HIV-2 infected patients show no disease and have low plasma virus load (VL). An analysis of HIV-2 capsid (p26) variation demonstrated that proline at p26 positions 119, 159 and 178 are more frequent in lower VL subjects while non-proline residues at all three sites are more frequent in subjects with high VL. In vitro replication levels of viruses bearing changes at the three sites suggested that these three residues influence virus replication by altering susceptibility to TRIM5α. These results provide new insights into HIV-2 pathogenesis.