Early archives of genetically-restricted proviral DNA in the female genital tract after heterosexual transmission of HIV-1

OBJECTIVES AND METHOD: In order to characterize human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants that are transmitted in women via heterosexual intercourse, the env V1-V3 sequences of HIV-1 provirus (DNA) and free virus (RNA) in paired samples of blood and cervicovaginal secretions of untreated chronically and primary infected African women were compared. RESULTS: Env RNA sequences retrieved from plasma and genital compartments formed a single cluster in primary infection. In contrast, env RNA sequences from these two compartments were distinct in chronically infected women. Analysis of proviral DNA of primary infected women showed that most HIV-1 sequences derived from the genital epithelia form independent clusters from HIV-1 sequences of DNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and RNA recovered from plasma and genital secretions. Similarly, the analysis of proviral DNA in the genital compartment of chronically infected women showed the persistence of genetically-restricted cluster of HIV-1. CONCLUSIONS: These observations indicate that a viral subpopulation is archived as proviral DNA in the female genital tract early in primary infection, and suggest that HIV-1 variants from the male donor are selected in the female mucosal site during male to female transmission of HIV-1.     

福建省未经抗病毒治疗的HIV-1毒株耐药基因变异研究

目的研究福建省未经抗逆转录病毒治疗的艾滋病病毒感染者伎滋病患者（HIV／AIDS患者）HIV的逆转录酶和蛋白酶耐药基因变异情况，为福建省开展HIV-1抗病毒治疗提供本底资料。方法采集福建省未经抗病毒治疗的HIV／AIDS病例的抗凝全血，分离血浆，用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT—PCR）扩增HIV—lpol区序列并直接进行序列测定，提交Web站点http：／／hivdb．stanford．edu进行耐药突变分析。结果选取74份流行病学资料及序列资料完整的样本进入耐药基因分析，结果显示，蛋白酶基因的次要耐药突变广泛存在，以M36I、L63P、193L等多态性突变类型为主，未发现与蛋白酶抑制剂耐药相关的突变。逆转录酶区的耐药突变分布较为分散，发生率为20．27％（15．74）。依据耐药性解释，发现3例样本（4．05％）表现为对部分逆转录酶抑制剂的潜在或低度耐药。结论福建省未用药的HIV感染者中，耐药相关突变尚处于低流行状态，在开展抗病毒治疗后应当定期进行耐药性检测以期获得较好的效果。     

Accumulation of defective HIV-1 variants in a patient with slow disease progression

Viral population in a long term non progressor carrying CRF02-AG HIV-1 virus variants with a truncated RT gene and attenuated virus replication was analyzed. The proportion of mutant and wild-type RT sequences was determined by clonal analysis of HIV-1 DNA and RNA from blood samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture supernatants. Recombinant HIV-1 strains were generated by reverse genetics to evaluate the replicative capacity of RT variants in PBMC cultures. HIV-1 RNA and DNA sequences in PBMC cultures showed a mixture of stop codons (RT(STOP)), recombinant forms, (RT(RF)), and full length (RT(FL)) strains. In plasma, proportion of HIV-1 RNA sequences with a truncated RT gene fluctuated over time (0% in 2005, 100% in 2007 and 8.3% in 2010), while in proviral DNA was constant (96.5% to 100%). Reconstituted RT(STOP) strains were unable to replicate in PBMC. However, RT(FL) strains could trans-complement the loss of function of RT(STOP) variants. In vivo selection of stop codons in the RT gene resulted in the accumulation of replication-defective virus strains. Nevertheless, the observed release of defective viral particles in plasma was probably the result of viral protein complementation between replication-competent and replication-incompetent HIV-1 variants. The divergence in the proportion of RT(STOP) and RT(FL) variants as well as in the mutation's pattern to antiretroviral drug resistance between HIV-1 plasma RNA and PBMC proviral DNA, suggested that circulating lymphocytes expressing full-length RT might be negatively selected for by a specific T-cell response, possibly contributing to the slow progression to AIDS observed in this patient.