The Viral Envelope Gene Is Involved in Macrophage Tropism of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Strain Isolated from Brain Tissue

Authors

Zhen-Qian Liu, University of Kansas, Lawrence
Charles Wood, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jay Levy, University of California, San Francisco
Cecilia Cheng-Mayer, University of California, San Francisco

Date of this Version

12-1990

Comments

Published in JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY, Dec. 1990. p. 61484153 0022-538X/901126148-06$02.0010 Copyright © 1990, American Society for Microbiology. Used by permission.

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains isolated from the central nervous system (CNS) may represent a subgroup that displays a host cell tropism different from those isolated from peripheral blood and lymph nodes. One CNS-derived isolate, HIV-l_SF128A , which can be propagated efficiently in primary macrophage culture but not in any T-cell lines, was molecularly cloned and characterized. Recombinant viruses between HIV-1_SF128A and the peripheral blood isolate HIV-I_SF2 were generated in order to map the viral gene(s) responsible for the macrophage tropism. The env gene sequences of the two isolates are about 91.1% homologous, with variations scattered mainly in the hypervariable regions of gp120. Recombinant viruses that have acquired the HIV-l_SF128A env gene display HIV-1_SF128A tropism for macrophages. Furthermore, the gp120 variable domains, V₁, V₂, V₄, and V₅, the CD4-binding domain, and the gp41 fusion domain are not directly involved in determining macrophage tropism.