Early infection HIV-1 envelope V1-V2 genotypes do not enhance binding or replication in cells expressing high levels of α4β7 integrin.

It has been postulated that HIV-1 envelope properties, such as shorter and less-glycosylated V1-V2 loops commonly observed among non-subtype B early-transmitted viruses, promote utilization of the gut homing integrin α4β7. This property potentially confers an advantage to some HIV-1 variants early after acquisition. We found that replication-competent recombinant viruses incorporating HIV-1 subtype A compact and less-glycosylated early versus chronic phase V1-V2 loops demonstrated no significant difference in binding to α4β7 high CD8⁺ T cells or replication in α4β7 high CD4⁺ T cells. Integrin α4β7 usage does not select for shorter less-glycosylated envelopes during transmission.