Evidence of a role for the Q151L mutation and the viral background in development of multiple dideoxynucleoside-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1

The majority of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected patien ts treated with zidovudine (AZT) plus zalcitabine (ddC) and didanosine (ddI ) develop AZT resistance mediated by mutations such as T215Y and M41L. Only a small proportion of patients develop multiple dideoxynucleoside resistan ce (MDNR) mediated by the Q151M mutation. To gain insight into the factors responsible for the low frequency of selection of Q151M, we evaluated the r eplication capabilities of recombinant viruses carrying two possible interm ediates (151L or 151K) of the Q151M mutation generated in different reverse transcriptase (RT) genetic backgrounds. The 151L and 151K mutations were i ntroduced by site-directed mutagenesis in RTs from two patient-derived HIV- 1 isolates that had either wild type (WT) Q or the Q151M (posttreatment iso late) mutation. For comparison, both mutations were also introduced in a la boratory-adapted HIV-1 strain (HIV-1(HXB2)). Analysis of replication capabi lities showed that both 151L and 151K were lethal in RT genetic backgrounds of the WT isolate and in HIV-1(HXB2). In contrast, 151L but not 151K allow ed virus replication in RT backgrounds of the posttreatment isolate. Three mutations (V35I, S68G, and I178M) were present in the RT background of the posttreatment isolate but not in the WT isolate. Introduction of S68G in th e RT of both the WT isolate and HIV-1(HXB2) partially restored replication capacity of recombinants carrying the 151L mutation. The S68G mutation alon e did not confer a significant replicative disadvantage in WT viruses. Like HIV-1(151M), HIV-1(151L) RT was found to have six- to eightfold resistance to AZT-triphosphate (TP), ddA-TP, and ddC-TP, indicating an MDNR phenotype . However, HIV-1(151L) was found to be less fit than HIV-1(151M), which may explain the preferential selection of HIV-1(151M) observed in vivo. The de monstrated ability of HIV-1(151L/68G) to replicate and the associated MDNR suggest that 151L is a potential intermediate of Q151M. The dependence of H IV-1(151L) on other mutations, such as S68G, for replication may explain th e low frequency of the Q151M-mediated pathway of resistance.