Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2011-09
Short Communication: Severe Immune Suppression in Patients Infected with R5-Tropic HIV-1 Strains Is Associated with Increased gp120 Net Charge at Variable Regions
CXCR4-tropic viruses have been associated with advanced immune suppression. However, 50% of patients with AIDS exclusively harbor CCR5-tropic viruses. The net charge at HIV-1 envelope gp120 variable regions was examined in 66 HIV-1-infected individuals with CCR5-tropic viruses, of whom 30 had less than 200 cells/mm3. A positive net charge at gp120 variable regions was significantly associated with lower CD4 counts. Thus, the net charge at gp120 variable regions could influence HIV-1 disease progression in subjects with CCR5-tropic viruses.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
WatersL, MandaliaS, RandellP, WildfireA, GazzardB, MoyleG. The impact of HIV tropism on decreases in CD4 cell count, clinical progression, and subsequent response to a first antiretroviral therapy regimen. Clin Infect Dis, 2008; 46:1617–1623.
2.
PopeM, HaaseA. Transmission, acute HIV-1 infection and the quest for strategies to prevent infection. Nat Med, 2003; 9:847–852.
3.
SchuitemakerH, KootM, KootstraNet al.Biological phenotype of HIV type 1 clones at different stages of infection: Progression of disease is associated with a shift from monocytotropic to T-cell-tropic virus populations. J Virol, 1992; 66:1354–1360.
4.
RepitsJ, ObergM, EsbjornssonJet al.Selection of HIV type 1 R5 variants with augmented replicative capacity and reduced sensitivity to entry inhibitors during severe immunodeficiency. J Gen Virol, 2005; 86:2859–2869.
5.
RepitsJ, SterjovskiJ, Badia-MartinezDet al.Primary HIV-1 R5 isolates from end-stage disease display enhanced viral fitness in parallel with increased gp120 net charge. Virology, 2008; 379:125–134.
6.
PovedaE, BrizV, RouletVet al.Correlation between a phenotypic assay and three bioinformatic tools for determining HIV co-receptor use. AIDS, 2007; 21:1487–1490.
7.
SeclénE, GarridoC, GonzálezMMet al.High sensitivity of specific genotypic tools for detection of X4 variants in antiretroviral-experienced patients suitable to be treated with CCR5 antagonists. J Antimicrob Chemother, 2010; 65:1486–1492.
8.
PovedaE, SeclénE, GonzálezMMet al.Design and validation of new genotypic tools for easy and reliable estimation of HIV tropism before using CCR5 antagonists. J Antimicrob Chemother, 2009; 63:1006–1010.
9.
DelobelP, NugeyreM, CazabatMet al.Population-based sequencing of the V3 region of env for predicting the coreceptor usage of HIV type 1 quasispecies. J Clin Microbiol, 2007; 45:1572–1580.
10.
DavisH, MorganJ, YarmushM. Polybrene increases retrovirus gene transfer efficiency by enhancing receptor-independent virus adsorption on target cell membranes. Biophys Chem, 2002; 97:159–117.
