[Analysis of changes in the gp120 V3 region as observed in some patients with HIV infected from a common infection source]. / Analiz izmenchivosti oblasti V3 gp120 u otdel'nykh patsientov v kogorte VICH-infitsirovannykh, imeiushchikh edinyi istochnik zarazheniia.

HIV-1 genome regions encoding the gp120 V3 part were sequenced in samples isolated from persons belonging to the category of those infected in the Rostov-Elista outbreak and having the common infection source. Samples were obtained from 5 patients in 1992 and in 2001. A total of 27 sequences obtained in 1992 and 35 sequences obtained in 2001, 2 to 8 sequences for each patient, were analyzed. The diversity level of V3 sequences made, in some patients, 2.2% in 1992 and went up to 4.2% in 2001 samples (p < 0.07). The ratio between the synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions was determined for the gp120 V3 region. The mean ratio value made 0.12 in 1992 samples and 0.23 in 2001 samples. The obtained data confirm the assumption, made previously in a population analysis, on the evolution of the gp120 V3 epitope towards substitution of the Lg initial structure in positions 14 and 15 (through intermediate stages represented by the IG and FG structures) for the FA structure.

[A retrospective analysis of population type variability of the region V3 gp120 in HIV infected patients with a unified infection focus]. / Retrospektivnyi analiz populiatsionnoi izmenchivosti oblasti V3 gp120 v kogorte VICH-infitsirovannykh, imeiushchikh edinyi istochnik zarazheniia.

Regions of HIV-1 genome, encoding the V3 gp120 region, were sequenced in materials that were sampled from persons belonging to the category of individuals infected from a single source during the Rostov-Elista outbreak. The samples were obtained in 1991-1992 (10 pieces) and in 2000-2001 (16 pieces), which amounts to 8% and 13%, respectively, of a total number of patients infected by the beginning of 1990. It was established that the level of the population variability of amino-acid sequences in region V3 amounted, in 1991-1992, to 5.2% and increased to 9.1% in the samples of 2000-2001. A comparison of amino-acid sequences in region V3 from the collections of 1991-1992 and of 2000-2001 revealed the below amino-acid substitutions: from Ser13 to His, from Ley14 to Phe, from Phe to Ley and from Ley to Ala. An analysis of V3 B-epitope showed that the basic trend of its evolution consists in reciprocal transitions of L to F in position 14 and of F to L in position 20. Such substitutions ensure further changes at the "top" of the V3-loop from GPG to APG.