Sequence Analysis of a South American HIV Type 1 BC Recombinant

Abstract

We report the characterization of a near full-length sequence of a South American HIV-1 BC intersubtype recombinant, ARE195FL. This isolate contains a C ^gag/pol B ^{vpr/vpu/gp160(env)} C ^{gp41(env)/nef} mosaic structure differing from any BC full-length sequence described to date, and is the first full-length sequence obtained from a South American BC strain. Neighbor-joining analysis revealed that subtype C genomic segments of ARE195FL clustered with the South American group of subtype C strains, suggesting a local emergence of the BC recombinant. Despite having dissimilar genomic structures, ARE195FL shares a common recombination breakpoint in vif, which is a "hot spot" for recombinatory events, with the Chinese BC recombinant prototype CRF07_BC. Further full-length sequence analysis of South American HIV-1 C and BC strains is necessary to determine the relevance and spread of emerging HIV-1 BC recombinants in Latin America.