Human Leukocyte Antigen-Associated HIV-1 CRF02_AG gag and vif Polymorphisms in Ghana

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol. 72; no. 6; pp. 374 - 380
• Main Authors: Adusei-Poku, Mildred A., Matsuoka, Saori, Bonney, Evelyn Y., Abana, Christopher Z., Duker, Ewurabena O., Nii-Trebi, Nicholas I., Ofori, Sampson B., Mizutani, Taketoshi, Ishizaka, Aya, Shiino, Teiichiro, Kawana-Tachikawa, Ai, Ishikawa, Koichi, Ampofo, William K., Matano, Tetsuro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Editorial Committee 2019; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antigens; Child; CRF02_AG; Cytotoxicity; Epitopes; Female; gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - genetics; Gag protein; Genotype; Ghana; Ghana - epidemiology; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; HIV; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1; HIV-1 - genetics; HLA Antigens - immunology; HLA-associated polymorphism; Human behavior; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Leukocytes; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Genetic; vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - genetics; Viruses; Young Adult; Ghana; HIV-1; CRF02_AG; Ghana; HLA-associated polymorphism
• ISSN: 1344-6304; 1884-2836; 1884-2836
• DOI: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2019.201

In human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infections, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses targeting human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted viral epitopes exert strong suppressive pressure on viral replication and frequently select for mutations resulting in viral escape from CTL recognition. Numerous data on these HLA-associated mutations in HIV-1 subtypes B and C have been amassed with few reports described in other subtypes. In the present study, we investigated the HLA-associated mutations in HIV-1 subtype CRF02_AG prevailing in Ghana, Western Africa. We determined viral gag sequences in 246 out of 324 HIV-1-infected Ghanaians. Phylogeny analysis revealed that 200 (81.3%) individuals were infected with HIV-1 CRF02_AG. Full gag and vif sequences were obtained from 199 and 138, respectively, out of the 200 individuals infected with CRF02_AG and subjected to determination of HLA-associated mutations. The analysis found HLA-associated HIV-1 CRF02_AG non-synonymous polymorphisms at 19 sites; 13 in gag and six in vif, including those that were newly determined. Generation of this data is an important contribution to our understanding of HIV-1 CRF02_AG and host T cell interaction.