[Analysis of gag gene subtypes of HIV-1 variants isolated in Russia by comparative assessment of heteroduplex electrophoretic mobility].

Using heteroduplex mobility assay modified for gag gene analysis (HMA-gag), 37 HIV-1 samples previously genotyped by gag and env nucleotide sequencing were studied. It has been demonstrated that both sensitivity and specificity of HMA-gag were 100%. The gag gene region derived from 20 env subtype A HIV-1 isolates was analyzed by this method. AG recombinant, representing a circulating recombinant form of HIV-1 (AGlbNG) was found among five HIV-1 strains isolated from patients infected through heterosexual contacts in Russia. No novel recombinant forms were found among fifteen HIV-1 variants infected from drug users in 7 cities of Russia. The proposed HMA-gag method extends the potentialities of investigating the genetic variability of HIV-1 and in combination with the previously proposed method for env gene is a convenient approach to search for recombinant forms of this virus.