Generation and characterization of an HIV-1 subtype C transmitted and early founder virus consensus sequence.

The tight bottleneck during HIV-1 transmission generally results in only a single virus variant being transmitted. Investigation of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) can identify vulnerabilities of transmitting viruses that can be targeted by vaccines designed to elicit protection against global HIV-1. This study generated an HIV-1 subtype C consensus transmitted and early founder virus Env (EnvFVC) after detailed sequence analysis of 1,894 env genes obtained from 80 acutely infected individuals from South Africa, Malawi, and Zambia. The inferred EnvFVC sequence incorporates characteristics of transmitted and early founder viruses and results in the expression of a functional and conformationally intact Env. Overall, the "subtype-based" or "region-based" EnvFVC described here can be used in the development of a useful immunogen for novel vaccine design.