Biological analysis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 R5 envelopes amplified from brain and lymph node tissues of AIDS patients with neuropathology reveals two distinct tropism phenotypes and identifies envelopes in the brain that confer an enhanced tropism and fusigenicity for macrophages.

ABSTRACT: Complete envelope genes were amplified from autopsy brain tissue of five individuals who had died of AIDS and had neurological complications. Lymph node samples were included for two of the patients. Nineteen different envelope clones from the five patients had distinct V1V2 sequences. Thirteen of the envelopes were functional and conferred fusigenicity and infectivity for CD4(+) CCR5(+) cells. Infectivity and cell-cell fusion assays showed that most envelopes used both CCR5 and CCR3. One brain-derived envelope used a broad range of coreceptors, while three other brain envelopes from one individual were restricted to CCR5. However, there was no correlation between tissue of origin and coreceptor use. Envelopes showed two very distinct phenotypes depending on their capacity to infect macrop

SUBMITTER: Peters PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC421670 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature