Characterization of HIV-1 envelope gp41 genetic diversity and functional domains following perinatal transmission.

ABSTRACT:

Background

HIV-1 envelope gp41 is a transmembrane protein that promotes fusion of the virus with the plasma membrane of the host cells required for virus entry. In addition, gp41 is an important target for the immune response and development of antiviral and vaccine strategies, especially when targeting the highly variable envelope gp120 has not met with resounding success. Mutations in gp41 may affect HIV-1 entry, replication, pathogenesis, and transmission. We, therefore, characterized the molecular properties of gp41, including genetic diversity, functional motifs, and evolutionary dynamics from five mother-infant pairs following perinatal transmission.

Results

The gp41 open reading frame (ORF) was maintained with a frequency of 84.17% in five mother-infant pairs' sequenc

SUBMITTER: Ramakrishnan R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1526753 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature