A polymerase chain reaction method for the amplification of full-length envelope genes of HIV-1 from DNA samples containing single molecules of HIV-1provirus

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of full-length envelope genes from the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) directly from uncultu red clinical samples is difficult. This paper describes a comparative asses sment of the performance of three thermostable polymerases in an HIV-1 full -length envelope gene PCR. The PCR method utilising Expand HiFi polymerase was successful when using DNA samples extracted from a variety of sources i ncluding blood, semen and various tissues. This method generated high and s pecific yields of product from samples containing as little as one copy of HIV-1 proviral DNA. The resulting PCR products were suitable for a variety of downstream analytical methods including DNA sequence analysis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.