Multiple barriers to recombination between divergent HIV-1 variants revealed by a dual-marker recombination assay.

ABSTRACT: Recombination is a major force for generating human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) diversity and produces numerous recombinants circulating in the human population. We previously established a cell-based system using green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) as a reporter to study the mechanisms of HIV-1 recombination. We now report an improved system capable of detecting recombination using authentic viral sequences. Frameshift mutations were introduced into the gag gene so that parental viruses do not express full-length Gag; however, recombination can generate a progeny virus that expresses a functional Gag. We demonstrate that this Gag reconstitution assay can be used to detect recombination between two group M HIV-1 variants of the same or of different subtypes. Using both gfp and g

SUBMITTER: Nikolaitchik OA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3065980 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature