4th International AIDS Conference Stockholm, Sweden. — June 12-16, 1988

Int Conf AIDS. 1988 Jun 12-16;4:1.113 (abstract no. 1004)

M Guyader, K Peden, A Cordonnier, L Chakrabarti, L Montagnier and M Emerman
Institut Pasteur Paris

OBJECTIVE: Sequence analysis of HIV2 and SIV-MAC revealed the presence of an open reading frame in the central region of the genome. This open reading frame, which we called X, has the potential to code for a protein of 112 amino acids that is highly conserved between HIV2 and SIV-MAC but is not present in HIV1. This study was under-taken to determine whether or not the putative X product is expressed and to define its role in the viral life cycle.

METHODS AND RESULTS: In order to block specifically the expression of X, we have used oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis to mutate the open reading frame in the HIV2 and SIV genomes. Results will be presented on the expression of full-length clones containing mutations in the X open reading frame. The expression of this open reading frame will also be investigated using anti-sera raised to the N-terminal and C-terminal regions of the putative protein. In the course of establishing a system for the introduction of mutations into infectious HIV2 proviral clones, we isolated two types of proviral clones that differ by the presence of an insertion of approximately 500 bp near the 3' end of the genome. The effect of the insertion on viral replication will also be presented.

CONCLUSION: Mutational analysis of an open reading frame specific to HIV2/SIV family may contribute to an under-standing of the differences and similarities between this group of viruses and HIV1.

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