An infectious molecular clone in early infection with HIV-1 subtype CRF01_AE strains: construction and biological properties.

Our aim was to construct infectious molecular clones of the CRF01_AE subtype in the primary infection phase of an acute HIV-1 infections in people screened from MSM populations, as well as continue preliminary research on this virus and its biological properties pertaining to deriving viruses. Walking sequencing was performed on a half-molecular clone with target fragment inserted. Western Blot was used to detect protein expression in HIV-1 infected 293T cells. Sequence analysis of HIV-1 genomic clones showed full-length HIV-1 genomic clones without frame shift mutation or termination codon. HIV-1 p24 antigens generated from 08-IMC were slightly greater than those from infectious molecular clones pNL4-3 3 and 93JP-NH1, but without statistical difference (all P > 0.05). The relative light units of 08-ISO was higher than those of 08-IMC, but no significant difference was observed (all P > 0.05). 08-IMC-driven virus was linked to lower replication kinetics. The replication levels of pNL4-3 and 08-ISO were significantly higher than the 08-IMC replication level but close to NH1 replication level (all P < 0.05). 08-IMC could infect the cells expressing CCR5 and be replicated in the CCR5-expressing cells with a positive percentage of 24.3 %, 08-ISO may use CCR5-using macrophage-tropic isolates as coreceptor, while pNL4-3 viruses with T cell tropisms utilize the CXCR4 co-receptor. Our study showed that the infectious molecular clones of viruses in the primary infection phase have a close relationship with the major prevalent CRF01_AE strains and have high homology with the viral RNA in plasma.