Open AccessIdentification of a Cluster of HIV-1 Controllers Infected with Low Replicating Viruses
Author(s) -
Concepción Casado,
María Pernas,
Virginia Sandonís,
Tamara Alvaro-Cifuentes,
Isabel Olivares,
Rosa Fuentes,
Lorena MartínezPrats,
Eulàlia Grau,
Lı́dia Ruiz,
Rafaël Delgado,
Carmen Rodrı́guez,
Jorge del Romero,
Cecilio López-Galı́ndez
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0077663
Subject(s) - cluster (spacecraft) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , virology , identification (biology) , biology , computational biology , computer science , programming language , botany
Long term non-progressor patients (LTNPs) are characterized by the natural control of HIV-1 infection. This control is related to host genetic, immunological and virological factors. In this work, phylogenetic analysis of the proviral nucleotide sequences in env gene from a Spanish HIV-1 LTNPs cohort identified a cluster of 6 HIV-1 controllers infected with closely-related viruses. The patients of the cluster showed common clinical and epidemiological features: drug user practices, infection in the same city (Madrid, Spain) and at the same time (late 70’s-early 80’s). All cluster patients displayed distinct host alleles associated with HIV control. Analysis of the virus envelope nucleotide sequences showed ancestral characteristic, lack of evolution and presence of rare amino-acids. Biological characterization of recombinant viruses with the envelope proteins from the cluster viruses showed very low replicative capacity in TZMbl and U87-CD4/CCR5 cells. The lack of clinical progression in the viral cluster patients with distinct combinations of protective host genotypes, but infected by low replicating viruses, indicate the important role of the virus in the non-progressor phenotype in these patients.