DIVERSITY OF THE HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 ENVELOPE GLYCOPROTEIN IN SAN-FRANCISCO MENS HEALTH STUDY PARTICIPANTS

Multiple genetic subtypes of HIV-1, differing by up to 30% of nucleoti des in their envelope coding sequences, have been identified in the gl obal epidemic, In the United States, where HIV-1 infection with subtyp e B predominates, the interisolate diversity in envelope is 15% or mor e, It is recognized that geographic, temporal, and demographic variabl es can affect the genetic diversity of HIV-1 strains, but there have b een few opportunities to evaluate these factors by population-based sa mpling, We have evaluated HIV-1 envelope diversity among participants in the San Francisco Men's Health Study (SFMHS), which represents a ge ographically, temporally, and demographically defined subset of HIV-1 infections in the United States, DNA was extracted from primary PBMCs obtained within 6 months of seroconversion and from individuals whose HIV-1 infection occurred between 1985 and 1989, The full-length envelo pe gene was PCR amplified, cloned, and sequenced from 17 different ind ividuals, The sequences were compared within the cohort and with refer ence sequences from the United States and overseas, and their relation ship to vaccine prototype strains LAI, MN, and SF2 was evaluated, SFMH S participants harbored HIV-1 subtype B infections with limited interp atient variation and a higher proportion of atypical V3 loop crown seq uences than reference sequences of this subtype, Throughout gp160, the MN strain was less representative than LAI or SF2 among the patients examined, The geographic component of variation was apparently more su bstantial than the temporal, emphasizing the need for widely distribut ed geographic sampling in estimations of HIV diversity.