Phylogenetic analysis of the nef gene reveals a distinctive monophyletic clade in Korean HIV-1 cases.

Phylogenetic analysis of the nef gene reveals a distinctive monophyletic clade in Korean HIV-1 cases.

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1998 Jan 1;17(1):58-68. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/98097260
Kang MR; Cho YK; Chun J; Kim YB; Lee I; Lee HJ; Kim SH; Kim YK; Yoon K; Yang JM; Kim JM; Shin YO; Kang C; Lee JS; Choi KW; Kim DG; Fitch WM; Kim S; Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics and Medical College,; Seoul National University, Korea.

Abstract: To study the genetic variation of the HIV-1 strains prevalent in South Korea, we analyzed the nef sequences derived from 46 HIV-1-positive individuals living in various geographic regions in Korea. Phylogenetic analysis revealed four subtypes of HIV-1: A (3 patients), B (41 patients), D (1 patient), and a type that could not be clearly classified to any known subtype (1 patient). Thirty-five of the 41 Korean subtype B isolates formed a distinct monophyletic clade that is not related to any of the international sequences from the Los Alamos Database or GenBank as of June 1997. Indeed, the presence of unique conserved sequences was identified among the Korean isolates in this Korean subtype B group. The variations in the nucleotide sequences of a majority (32 of 35) subtype B samples within the Korean clade were 1.9% to 8.8%, and amino acid sequences varied from 3.9% to 15.5%. These results suggest that HIV-1 strains currently present in South Korea might have originated from a few sources or might be developing through a certain selective pressure. This is the first report on the molecular nature of the HIV-1 infection present in South Korea.

Keywords: *Genes, nef *HIV Infections/VIROLOGY *HIV-1/CLASSIFICATION *HIV-1/GENETICS
980430
M9841798

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