Creation of the HIV-1 antisense gene asp coincided with the emergence of the pandemic group M and is associated with faster disease progression.

ABSTRACT: Despite being first identified more than three decades ago, the antisense gene asp of HIV-1 remains an enigma. asp is present uniquely in pandemic (group M) HIV-1 strains, and it is absent in all non-pandemic (out-of-M) HIV-1 strains and virtually all non-human primate lentiviruses. This suggests that the creation of asp may have contributed to HIV-1 fitness or worldwide spread. It also raises the question of which evolutionary processes were at play in the creation of asp. Here, we show that HIV-1 genomes containing an intact asp gene are associated with faster HIV-1 disease progression. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the creation of a full-length asp gene occurred via the evolution of codon usage in env overlapping asp on the oppo

SUBMITTER: Pavesi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10846101 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature