Limited nucleotide changes in the Rev response element (RRE) during HIV-1 infection alter overall Rev-RRE activity and Rev multimerization.

ABSTRACT: HIV-1 Rev and the Rev response element (RRE) enable a critical step in the viral replication cycle by facilitating the nuclear export of intron-containing mRNAs, yet their activities have rarely been analyzed in natural infections. This study characterized their genetic and functional variation in a small cohort of HIV-infected individuals. Multiple Rev and RRE sequences were obtained using single-genome sequencing (SGS) of plasma samples collected within 6 months after seroconversion and at a later time. This allowed the identification of cognate sequences that were linked in vivo in the same viral genome and acted together as a functional unit. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences indicated that 4/5 infections were founded by a single transmission event. Rev and RRE variants from eac

SUBMITTER: Sloan EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3807272 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature