Real-time PCR assay of individual human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variants in coinfected human lymphoid tissues

J Clin Microbiol. 2003 May;41(5):2126-31. doi: 10.1128/JCM.41.5.2126-2131.2003.

Abstract

In the course of infection, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) mutates, diverging into a "swarm" of viral quasispecies, and the predominance of CCR5- or CXCR4-utilizing quasispecies is strongly associated with the pattern of disease progression. Quantification of CCR5- and CXCR4-utilizing viruses in viral swarms is important in the investigation of the mechanisms of this phenomenon. Here, we report on a new real-time PCR-based methodology for the evaluation of replication of individual CCR5- and CXCR4-utilizing variants. The assay is highly reproducible, with a coefficient of variation of <3%, and it accurately estimates the numbers of virus-specific RNA copies even when their difference in the mixture is 2 orders of magnitude. We demonstrate that replications of CCR5- and CXCR4-utilizing variants can be evaluated and distinguished in experimentally coinfected human lymphoid tissue. The assay we developed may facilitate study of the mechanisms of the R5-to-X4 switch in viral swarms in human tissues infected with HIV-1.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • DNA Primers / genetics
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Genetic Variation*
  • HIV Core Protein p24 / analysis
  • HIV Infections / virology*
  • HIV-1 / genetics*
  • HIV-1 / isolation & purification
  • HIV-1 / physiology
  • Humans
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Lymphoid Tissue / virology
  • Plasmids / genetics
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / standards
  • Receptors, CCR5 / physiology
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / physiology
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Viral
  • HIV Core Protein p24
  • Receptors, CCR5
  • Receptors, CXCR4