PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE GENETIC SUBTYPES OF HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUSTYPE-1 PROVIRUSES IN UGANDA

DNA sequences encoding the C2-V3 regions or the C2-V5 regions of the s urface glycoprotein gp120 of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 ( HIV-1) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from peri pheral blood mononuclear cells obtained in 1990/1992 from 20 infected Ugandans. The PCR-amplified DNA was cloned into a phagemid vector and between 1 and 12 clones from each provirus were sequenced. The Ugandan proviruses were aligned into four subtypes (A, B, C, and D) by phylog enetic analysis of consensus nucleotide sequences for the C2-V3 region s. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences of the C2-V3 regions b y a maximum parsimony program gave a similar phylogenetic relationship . The data indicated that phylogenetic analysis of nucleotide and/or a mino acid sequences from the C2-V3 regions is a reliable method of sub type determination. The consensus amino acid sequence of the subtype A and D proviruses were almost identical to those of the Albert et al.( 1) group B and group A proviruses, respectively. The deduced amino aci d sequences of the C2-V5 regions of six of these proviruses showed con siderable diversity both between patients and within patients. The reg ion varied in length between 234 and 243 amino acids and included dele tions and repetitions, particularly in the V4 region.