DIFFERENT VIRAL VARIANTS IN CHROMOSOMIC AND EXTRA-CHROMOSOMIC VIRAL DNA IN AN IN VITRO SUPERINFECTION WITH HIV-1.

MARQUINA S.,; GÓMEZ CARRILLO M.; GALVAN V.,; LIBONATTI O.,; RABINOVICH R.

Vancouver, Canadá,

Conferencia; XI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AIDS.; 1996

International AIDS Society

Objective to study the viral DNA in the chromosomic and extrachromosomic fraction and the viral progenie in a superinfection with another variant of a cell line persistentty infected with an HIV-l strain. Methods:The superinfection system consisted in the H9HTLVIIIB cell line persistently infected. and the supennfectant strain was the HIV- 1 MN. The chromosomic and extrachromosomic DNA was separated by means of a precipitation technique descnbed by Hirt. In these fractions and in DNA extractad from infected cells with the viral progenie of the superinfected cdl lines, C2V3 region of the gpl 20 env gene was amplified by PCRTo distinguish between the genomes of che two strains, PCRs products were cut with Mrll and BsaJ 1 restriction enzymes. Resulta: Forty-eight hours post superinfection, both viruses, the persistent and the superinfectant strains, were found in the chromosomic DNA fraction. lnterestingly. the sperinfectant strain was mainly observad in the extrachromosomic viral DNA. However the viral product obtained frorn the superinfection was HIV- 1 HTLVIIIB. Conclusions: We report a direct evidence concerning the ongin of the extrachromosomic viral DNA which seems to be produced by reinfection. At least in short time, the virus production comes from the first infectant viral strain.Then, the role of the viral extrachromosomic DNA in the generation of variability should be further studied.