HLA-associated alterations in replication capacity of chimeric NL4-3 viruses carrying gag-protease from elite controllers of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

ABSTRACT: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected persons who maintain plasma viral loads of <50 copies RNA/ml without treatment have been termed elite controllers (EC). Factors contributing to durable control of HIV in EC are unknown, but an HLA-dependent mechanism is suggested by overrepresentation of "protective" class I alleles, such as B*27, B*51, and B*57. Here we investigated the relative replication capacity of viruses (VRC) obtained from EC (n = 54) compared to those from chronic progressors (CP; n = 41) by constructing chimeric viruses using patient-derived gag-protease sequences amplified from plasma HIV RNA and inserted into an NL4-3 backbone. The chimeric viruses generated from EC displayed lower VRC than did viruses from CP (P < 0.0001). HLA-B*57 was associated with lower

SUBMITTER: Miura T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2612337 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature