The biased nucleotide composition of HIV-1 triggers type I interferon response and correlates with subtype D increased pathogenicity.

ABSTRACT: The genome of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has an average nucleotide composition strongly biased as compared to the human genome. The consequence of such nucleotide composition on HIV pathogenicity has not been investigated yet. To address this question, we analyzed the role of nucleotide bias of HIV-derived nucleic acids in stimulating type-I interferon response in vitro. We found that the biased nucleotide composition of HIV is detected in human cells as compared to humanized sequences, and triggers a strong innate immune response, suggesting the existence of cellular immune mechanisms able to discriminate RNA sequences according to their nucleotide composition or to detect specific secondary structures or linear motifs within biased RNA sequences. We then extended our analysis to

SUBMITTER: Vabret N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3329495 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature