Adaptive changes in HIV-1 subtype C proteins during early infection are driven by changes in HLA-associated immune pressure.

ABSTRACT: It is unresolved whether recently transmitted human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) have genetic features that specifically favour their transmissibility. To identify potential "transmission signatures", we compared 20 full-length HIV-1 subtype C genomes from primary infections, with 66 sampled from ethnically and geographically matched individuals with chronic infections. Controlling for recombination and phylogenetic relatedness, we identified 39 sites at which amino acid frequency spectra differed significantly between groups. These sites were predominantly located within Env, Pol and Gag (14/39, 9/39 and 6/39 respectively) and were significantly clustered (33/39) within known immunoreactive peptides. Within 6 months of infection, we detected reversion-to-consensus mutations at 14 sites

SUBMITTER: Treurnicht FK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2810538 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature