Differential HIV-1 Proviral Defects in Children vs. Adults on Antiretroviral Therapy.

ABSTRACT: HIV-1 proviral landscapes were investigated using near full-length HIV single-genome sequencing on blood samples from 5 children with vertically acquired infection and on ART for ~7-9 years. Proviral structures were compared to published datasets in children prior to ART, children on short-term ART, and adults on ART. We found a strong selection for large internal proviral deletions in children, especially deletions of the env gene. Only 2.5% of the proviruses were sequence-intact, lower than in the comparative datasets from adults. Of the proviruses that retained the env gene, >80% contained two or more defects, most commonly stop codons and/or gag start mutations. Significantly fewer defects in the major splice donor site (MSD) and packaging signal were found in the

SUBMITTER: Hasson JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12154797 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature