Decreased mutation frequencies among immunoglobulin G variable region genes during viremic HIV-1 infection.

ABSTRACT:

Background/objective

HIV-1 infection is complicated by high rates of opportunistic infections against which specific antibodies contribute to immune defense. Antibody function depends on somatic hypermutation (SHM) of variable regions of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes (VH-D-J). We characterized the frequency of SHM in expressed IgG mRNA immunoglobulin transcripts from control and HIV-1-infected patients.

Design

We compared utilization of genes in the most prominent VH family (VH3) and mutation frequencies and patterns of cDNA from VH3-IgG genes from 10 seronegative control subjects and 21 patients with HIV-1 infection (6 without and 15 patients with detectable plasma viremia).

Methods

Unique IgG VH3 family cDNA sequences (n = 1,565) were PCR amplified, cloned, and s

SUBMITTER: Bowers E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3883639 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature