OBJECTIVE: To gain molecular insights into different HIV-1 strains present in two different states of India, nucleotide sequences derived from the env region of four HIV-1 strains were analysed. DESIGN: HIV-1 was isolated from high-risk patients from the states of Maharashtra (city of Bombay) and Goa. The molecular analysis of the env region encompassed all variable domains of the external glycoprotein, gp120. METHODS: Genomic DNA from cultured cells infected with each of the four Indian HIV-1 strains independently was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR fragments were cloned and sequenced and a phylogenetic tree constructed. RESULTS: All four Indian HIV-1 sequences were closely related to each other. The closest related sequence to them was from a South African isolate, HIV-1NOF, with a homology of 85-87%. In the phylogenetic tree, the Indian and the South African HIV-1 sequences cluster together and constitute a subtype different from the North American/European, Central African, Uganda/Rwanda and Northern Thailand subtypes. Interestingly, the viruses of this subtype are characterized by an additional potential N-glycosylation site C-terminal to the CD4-binding domain. CONCLUSION: The low variation between the HIV-1 sequences from randomly chosen individuals from high-risk cohorts in two Indian states suggests a rapid and recent spread of HIV and, possibly, introduction of the virus by the same route, most probably heterosexual transmission. The rapid spread of HIV-1 variants in India, which form a subgroup of their own together with a South African strain, necessitate consideration of these strains in vaccine development.
OBJECTIVE: To gain molecular insights into different HIV-1 strains present in two different states of India, nucleotide sequences derived from the env region of four HIV-1 strains were analysed. DESIGN:HIV-1 was isolated from high-risk patients from the states of Maharashtra (city of Bombay) and Goa. The molecular analysis of the env region encompassed all variable domains of the external glycoprotein, gp120. METHODS: Genomic DNA from cultured cells infected with each of the four Indian HIV-1 strains independently was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR fragments were cloned and sequenced and a phylogenetic tree constructed. RESULTS: All four Indian HIV-1 sequences were closely related to each other. The closest related sequence to them was from a South African isolate, HIV-1NOF, with a homology of 85-87%. In the phylogenetic tree, the Indian and the South African HIV-1 sequences cluster together and constitute a subtype different from the North American/European, Central African, Uganda/Rwanda and Northern Thailand subtypes. Interestingly, the viruses of this subtype are characterized by an additional potential N-glycosylation site C-terminal to the CD4-binding domain. CONCLUSION: The low variation between the HIV-1 sequences from randomly chosen individuals from high-risk cohorts in two Indian states suggests a rapid and recent spread of HIV and, possibly, introduction of the virus by the same route, most probably heterosexual transmission. The rapid spread of HIV-1 variants in India, which form a subgroup of their own together with a South African strain, necessitate consideration of these strains in vaccine development.
Authors: F Gao; S G Morrison; D L Robertson; C L Thornton; S Craig; G Karlsson; J Sodroski; M Morgado; B Galvao-Castro; H von Briesen; S Beddows; J Weber; P M Sharp; G M Shaw; B H Hahn Journal: J Virol Date: 1996-03 Impact factor: 5.103
Authors: Grace P McCormack; Judith R Glynn; Amelia C Crampin; Felix Sibande; Dominic Mulawa; Lyn Bliss; Philip Broadbent; Katia Abarca; Jorg M Pönnighaus; Paul E M Fine; Jonathan P Clewley Journal: J Virol Date: 2002-12 Impact factor: 5.103
Authors: K S Lole; R C Bollinger; R S Paranjape; D Gadkari; S S Kulkarni; N G Novak; R Ingersoll; H W Sheppard; S C Ray Journal: J Virol Date: 1999-01 Impact factor: 5.103