DISTINCT QUASI-SPECIES IN THE BLOOD AND THE BRAIN OF AN HIV-2-INFECTED INDIVIDUAL

Sequences or the HIV-2 envelope C2-C3 region were obtained after direc t PCR amplification of proviral DNA from the brain and peripheral bloo d mononuclear cells of an HIV-2-infected AIDS patient Tissue-specific sequences confirmed previous observations that HIV-2 is indeed present in the central nervous system of infected individuals Distinct but re lated quasi-species were present in these two different tissues of the same individual. Residues at position 18 and 19 of the V3 loop and ov erall charge of the loop suggest that the brain Virus was NSI/macropha ge tropic: whereas the sequences from the two blood samples were indic ative of a SI/T-cell tropic virus. This is the first description of th ese two genotypes in the same HIV-2-infected individual. Analysis of m ore samples from different compartments would help to better understan d tissue-specific factors in quasi-species evolution in vivo. (C) 1996 academic Press, Inc.