A New HIV-1 K₂₈E₃₂-Reverse Transcriptase Variant Associated with the Rapid Expansion of CRF07_BC among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

ABSTRACT: HIV-1 CRF07_BC originated among injection drug users (IDUs) in China. After diffusing into men who have sex with men (MSM), CRF07_BC has shown a rapid expansion in this group; however, the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we identified a new K₂₈E₃₂ variant of CRF07_BC that was characterized by five specific mutations (E28K, K32E, E248V, K249Q, and T338S) in reverse transcriptase. This variant was mainly prevalent among MSM, and was overrepresented in transmission clusters, suggesting that it could have driven the rapid expansion of CRF07_BC in MSM, though founder effects cannot be ruled out. It was descended from an evolutionary intermediate accumulating four specific mutations and formed an independent phylogenetic node with an estimated origin time in 2003. The K

SUBMITTER: Han J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9604004 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature