EVOLUTION OF THE HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-2 ENVELOPE GENE INPREIMMUNIZED AND PERSISTENTLY INFECTED RHESUS MACAQUES

The V3 and V4 domains of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) e nv genes from 14 rhesus macaques experimentally infected by HTV-2 SBL6 669/H5 were sequenced. No variation was observed in viral sequences fr om sera and from uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells during primary infection. The first mutations were detected 17 months after i nfection; they mainly concerned the region between the V3 and V4 domai ns and not those domains themselves, which are known to be hypervariab le, suggesting that variation of V3 is a late event of HIV infection.