A bovine papilloma virus vector with a dominant resistance marker replicates extrachromosomally in mouse and E. coli cells. (41/2958)

We describe the construction of a bovine papilloma virus-based vector (pCGBPV9) which contains a dominant selectable marker and replicates autonomously in both mouse and Escherichia coli cells. This vector contains the complete bovine papilloma virus genome, a ColE1 replication origin and a dominant selectable marker conferring resistance to kanamycin in bacteria and G418 in eukaryotic cells. A high number of G418R colonies are obtained after transfer of pCGBPV9 into mouse C127 cells. These G418R colonies contain vector DNA which replicates autonomously at approximately 10-30 copies per cell. The molecules are in most cases unrearranged and can be rescued into E. coli cells by bacterial transformation.  (+info)

Mutations that confer resistance to template-analog inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 reverse transcriptase lead to severe defects in HIV replication. (42/2958)

We isolated two template analog reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor-resistant mutants of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 RT by using the DNA aptamer, RT1t49. The mutations associated, N255D or N265D, displayed low-level resistance to RT1t49, while high-level resistance could be observed when both mutations were present (Dbl). Molecular clones of HIV that contained the mutations produced replication-defective virions. All three RT mutants displayed severe processivity defects. Thus, while biochemical resistance to the DNA aptamer RT1t49 can be generated in vitro via multiple mutations, the overlap between the aptamer- and template-primer-binding pockets favors mutations that also affect the RT-template-primer interaction. Therefore, viruses with such mutations are replication defective. Potent inhibition and a built-in mechanism to render aptamer-resistant viruses replication defective make this an attractive class of inhibitors.  (+info)

Comparison of cytomegalovirus (CMV) UL97 gene sequences in the blood and vitreous of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and CMV retinitis. (43/2958)

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) resistance to ganciclovir occurs via mutations in the UL97 gene. CMV DNA, from vitreous and blood specimens and from culture isolates from 87 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and CMV retinitis who received a ganciclovir implant, was sequenced to identify the relationship between the UL97 DNA sequences in the eye and peripheral blood. There was 93.5% agreement between the UL97 gene sequences from paired vitreous specimens and blood specimens. Sequence analysis of vitreous specimens showed that 15% (13/87) of the patients had either a ganciclovir resistance-conferring mutation or a polymorphism in the CMV UL97 gene. Eleven of the 13 mutations or polymorphisms in the vitreous also were identified in blood. Although the number of mutations limits definitive interpretation, these data suggest that blood specimens may reflect the events occurring in the eyes of patients with CMV retinitis.  (+info)

Frequency of mutations conferring resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected patients in Korea. (44/2958)

A nested PCR and direct sequencing methods were used to define human immunodeficiency virus type 1(HIV-1) reverse transcriptase codons 41 to 219 in DNA from 127 peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples obtained from 35 patients treated with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI). The follow-up period after the initiation of NRTI therapy was 61.8 +/- 31 months (mean and standard deviation). In addition to NRTI therapy, 32 of 35 patients were simultaneously treated with Korean red ginseng. The annual decrease in the CD4(+) T-cell count over 5 years was 13.2/microl. Twenty-eight (80%) of the 35 patients had mutations conferring resistance to NRTI. The frequencies of K70R, T215S/Y/F (i.e., mutation of T at codon 215 to S, Y, or F), D67N/E, K219Q, T69N/S/A, M41L, and L210W mutations conferring resistance to zidovudine were 57.6, 36.4, 36.4, 27.2, 24.2, 21.2, and 12.1%, respectively. Mutations conferring resistance to didanosine and lamivudine were detected in 2 (L74V and M184I; 14.2%) of 11 patients tested and in 4 (M184V; 57%) of 7 patients tested, respectively. In particular, the frequency of T69N/S/A increased sharply after more than 48 months of zidovudine monotherapy. However, Q151M was not detected. As the first report on the frequency of NRTI resistance mutations in Korea, our data suggest that genotypic antiretroviral drug testing should be considered for the design of better drug regimens to improve the management of HIV-1-infected patients.  (+info)

Rapid and sensitive oligonucleotide ligation assay for detection of mutations in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 associated with high-level resistance to protease inhibitors. (45/2958)

A sensitive, specific, and high-throughput oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) for the detection of genotypic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) resistance to Food and Drug Administration-approved protease inhibitors was developed and evaluated. This ligation-based assay uses differentially modified oligonucleotides specific for wild-type or mutant sequences, allowing sensitive and simple detection of both genotypes in a single well of a microtiter plate. Oligonucleotides were designed to detect primary mutations associated with high-level resistance to amprenavir, nelfinavir, indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, and lopinavir, including amino acid substitutions D30N, I50V, V82A/S/T, I84V, N88D, and L90M. Plasma HIV-1 RNA from 54 infected patients was amplified by reverse transcription-PCR and sequenced by using dideoxynucleotide chain terminators for evaluation of mutations associated with drug resistance. These same amplicons were genotyped by the OLA at positions 30, 50, 82, 88, 84, and 90 for a total of 312 codons. The sensitivity of detection of drug-resistant genotypes was 96.7% (87 of 90 mutant codons) in the OLA compared to 92.2% (83 of 90) in consensus sequencing, presumably due to the increased sensitivity of the OLA. The OLA detected genetic subpopulations more often than sequencing, detecting 30 mixtures of mutant and wild-type sequences and two mixtures of drug-resistant sequences compared to 15 detected by DNA sequencing. Reproducible and semiquantitative detection of the mutant and the wild-type genomes by the OLA was observed by analysis of wild-type and mutant plasmid mixtures containing as little as 5% of either genotype in a background of the opposite genome. This rapid, simple, economical, and highly sensitive assay provides a practical alternative to dideoxy sequencing for genotypic evaluation of HIV-1 resistance to antiretrovirals.  (+info)

Selection of zidovudine resistance mutations and escape of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from antiretroviral pressure in stavudine-treated pediatric patients. (46/2958)

The relationship between clinical changes in stavudine activity and stavudine resistance was investigated in 16 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children who received stavudine monotherapy for 18 months. Seven patients responded well to stavudine therapy, 3 experienced transient reductions in virus load, and all others had no detectable virologic response. In both the responders and nonresponders, no changes in stavudine susceptibility or specific baseline/emergent mutations in reverse transcriptase were observed. Only posttherapy HIV isolates from transient responders had elevated IC(50) values for stavudine. In 2 of the 3 transient responders, substitutions at codons 41, 210, and 215 were selected. The significance of these mutations was confirmed in viral competition experiments, site-directed mutagenesis, and in vitro selection. Selection of mutations previously associated with zidovudine resistance can be an important mechanism through which HIV may escape stavudine. The effect of these mutations on phenotypic stavudine susceptibility is relatively small but apparently large enough to be clinically significant.  (+info)

Genotypic testing for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 drug resistance. (47/2958)

There are 16 approved human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) drugs belonging to three mechanistic classes: protease inhibitors, nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors, and nonnucleoside RT inhibitors. HIV-1 resistance to these drugs is caused by mutations in the protease and RT enzymes, the molecular targets of these drugs. Drug resistance mutations arise most often in treated individuals, resulting from selective drug pressure in the presence of incompletely suppressed virus replication. HIV-1 isolates with drug resistance mutations, however, may also be transmitted to newly infected individuals. Three expert panels have recommended that HIV-1 protease and RT susceptibility testing should be used to help select HIV drug therapy. Although genotypic testing is more complex than typical antimicrobial susceptibility tests, there is a rich literature supporting the prognostic value of HIV-1 protease and RT mutations. This review describes the genetic mechanisms of HIV-1 drug resistance and summarizes published data linking individual RT and protease mutations to in vitro and in vivo resistance to the currently available HIV drugs.  (+info)

Characterization of wild-type and cidofovir-resistant strains of camelpox, cowpox, monkeypox, and vaccinia viruses. (48/2958)

Cidofovir ([(S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)cytosine] [HPMPC])-resistant forms of camelpox, cowpox, monkeypox, and vaccinia viruses were developed by prolonged passage in Vero 76 cells in the presence of drug. Eight- to 27-fold-higher concentrations of cidofovir were required to inhibit the resistant viruses than were needed to inhibit the wild-type (WT) viruses. Resistant viruses were characterized by determining their cross-resistance to other antiviral compounds, examining their different replication abilities in two cell lines, studying the biochemical basis of their drug resistance, and assessing the degrees of their virulence in mice. These viruses were cross resistant to cyclic HPMPC and, with the exception of vaccinia virus, to (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl)adenine. Three of the four resistant cowpox and monkeypox viruses exhibited reduced abilities to infect and replicate in 3T3 cells compared to their abilities in Vero 76 cells. Compared to the WT virus polymers the resistant cowpox virus DNA polymerase was 8.5-fold less sensitive to inhibition by cidofovir diphosphate, the active form of the drug. Intracellular phosphorylation of [3H]cidofovir was not stimulated or inhibited by infection with resistant cowpox virus. In intranasally infected BALB/c mice, WT cowpox virus was 80-fold more virulent than the resistant virus. Cidofovir treatment (100 mg/kg of body weight, given one time only as early as 5 min after virus challenge) of a resistant cowpox virus infection could not protect mice from mortality. However, the drug prevented mortality in 80 to 100% of the mice treated with a single 100-mg/kg dose at 1, 2, 3, or 4 days after WT virus challenge. By application of these results to human orthopoxvirus infections, it is anticipated that resistant viruses may be untreatable with cidofovir but their virulence may be attenuated. Studies will need to be conducted with cidofovir-resistant monkeypox virus in monkeys to further support these hypotheses.  (+info)