Functional diversity of HIV-1 envelope proteins expressed by contemporaneous plasma viruses.

Background: Numerous studies have shown that viral quasi-species with genetically diverse envelope proteins (Env) replicate simultaneously in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Less information is available concerning the extent that envelope sequence diversity translates into a diversity of phenotypic properties, including infectivity and resistance to entry inhibitors.

Methods: To study these questions, we isolated genetically distinct contemporaneous clonal viral populations from the plasma of 5 HIV-1 infected individuals (n = 70), and evaluated the infectivity of recombinant viruses expressing Env proteins from the clonal viruses in several target cells.

Quantification of the effects on viral DNA synthesis of reverse transcriptase mutations conferring human immunodeficiency virus type 1 resistance to nucleoside analogues.

Human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) resistance mutations reduce the susceptibility of the virus to nucleoside analogues but may also impair viral DNA synthesis. To further characterize the effect of nucleoside analogue resistance mutations on the efficiency and kinetics of HIV-1 DNA synthesis and to evaluate the impact of the depletion of deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTP) on this process, DNA synthesis was evaluated by allowing DNA synthesis to proceed with natural HIV-1 templates and primers, either within permeabilized viral particles or in newly infected cells, and quantifying the products by real-time PCR. Three recombinant viruses derived from three pNL4-3 molecular clones expressing mutations associated with resistance to zidovudine: a clone expressing RT mutation M184V, a clone expressing mutations M41L plus T215Y (M41L+T215Y), and clinical isolate BV34 (carrying seven resistance mutations).

Alpha/beta interferon impairs the ability of human macrophages to control growth of Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

Administration of alpha/beta interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) to mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to increase mycobacterial growth. Because IFN-alpha/beta has direct pleiotropic effects on the differentiation and functional activities of macrophages, we evaluated the effect of IFN-alpha/beta on mycobacterial growth in human monocytes/macrophages in vitro. Monocytes cultured at optimal cell density could control the growth of M.