Ekwalanga B, Kazadi R, Dazza MC, Nende M, Shamamba KB, Saragosti S; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2002 Jul 7-12; 14: abstract no. TuPeA4417.
INRB, Kinshasa, Congo, the Democratic Republic of fhe
BACKGROUND: African non-human primates represent an extremely large reservoir of lentiviruses with the potential for infecting other species, including humans, in their natural habitats. METHODS: In a recent sero-survey of wild born primates sold as pet in Kinshasa (DRC), we identified three monkeys harboring HIV/SIV antibodies reactive with all HIV-2 commercial diagnostic kits used. RESULTS: A Cercoptithecus mona wolfi (or mona denti) with natural SIV infection was identified. The full-length sequence of SIVwol revealed the presence of a vpu open reading frame, a highly variable gene that is characteristic of the human (HIV-1) and chimpanzee (SIVcpz) viruses lineage. Although shorter than its HIV-1/SIVcpz counterpart, the SIVwol VPU contains the characteristic DSGxxS motif, involved in VPU-mediated CD4 and IkBa proteolysis. The separation of env and nef open reading frames, specific feature of the HIV-1/SIVcpz lineage, is not found in the SIVwol. Comparisons of the eight genes common to all primate lentiviruses, revealed that SIVwol is generally most closely related to the Cercopithecus mitis albogularis virus (SIVsyk). However, the deep branching observed in the phylogenetic analysis, indicates that SIVwol forms a novel lineage. CONCLUSIONS: The finding of a characteristic feature of SIVcpz/HIV-1 in a Cercoptithecus virus, opens the possibility that chimpanzees and humans could have acquired their viruses from a monkey species. The six mona monkey subspecies (Campbell's mona, Dent's mona, Lowe's mona, Mona monkey, Pogonias mona and Wolf's mona) live in a large geographic territory, in which the 3 groups of HIV-1 (M, N, and O) have emerged, covers the geographic biotope of the four chimpanzee's subspecies.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Cercopithecus
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Genes, env
- HIV
- HIV Antibodies
- HIV Infections
- HIV-1
- HIV-2
- Humans
- Lentivirus
- Pan troglodytes
- Simian immunodeficiency virus
- genetics
Other ID:
UI: 102255078
From Meeting Abstracts