Genetic shift of env V3 loop viral sequences in patients with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder during antiretroviral therapy.

Abstract

The development of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV)-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) involves the adaptation of viral sequences coding for the V3 loop of the env protein. The plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may contain viral populations from various cellular sources and with differing pathogenicity. Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) may alter the relative abundance of these viral populations, leading to a genetic shift. We characterized plasma and CNS viral populations prior to and during cART and relate the findings to viral elimination kinetics and the clinical phenotype. Longitudinal plasma and CSF samples of five chronically infected HIV patients, four of whom had HAND, and one seroconverter were analyzed for V3 sequences by RT-PCR and sequence analysis. In the chronically infected patients, pre-cART plasma and CSF viral sequences were different irrespective of viral elimination kinetics and clinical phenotype. cART induced replacement of plasma viral populations in all subjects. CSF viral populations underwent a clear genetic shift in some patients but remained stable in others. This was not dependent on the presence of HAND. The genetic shift of CSF V3 sequences was absent in the two subjects whose CSF viral load initially increased during cART. In one patient, pre- and post-treatment CSF sequences were closely related to the post-treatment plasma sequences, suggesting a common cellular source. We found heterogeneous patterns of genetic compartmentalization and genetic shift over time. Although these did not closely match viral elimination kinetics and clinical phenotype, the results imply different patterns of the dynamics and relative contribution of compartment-specific virus populations in chronic HIV infection.

• Authors: Christian Eggers, Oliver Müller, Ingo Thordsen, Michael Schreiber, Axel Methner
• Journal: Journal of neurovirology (J Neurovirol) Vol. 19 Issue 6 Pg. 523-30 (Dec 2013) ISSN: 1538-2443 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24101298 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Anti-HIV Agents
• RNA, Viral
• env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Topics

• Adult
• Anti-HIV Agents (therapeutic use)
• Cognition Disorders (etiology, virology)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Female
• Genetic Drift
• HIV Infections (complications, drug therapy, virology)
• HIV-1 (classification, genetics, pathogenicity)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neuropsychological Tests
• RNA, Viral (blood, cerebrospinal fluid, genetics)
• Severity of Illness Index
• Viral Load
• env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus