HLA-Associated viral mutations are common in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 elite controllers

Miura, T., Brumme, C. J., Brockman, M. A., Brumme, Z. L., Pereyra, F., Block, B. L., Trocha, A., John, M., Mallal, S., Harrigan, P. R. and Walker, B. D. (2009) HLA-Associated viral mutations are common in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 elite controllers. Journal of Virology, 83 (7). pp. 3407-3412.

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Abstract

Elite controllers (EC) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HTV-1) maintain viremia below the limit of detection without antiretroviral treatment. Virus-specific cytotoxic CD8⁺ T lymphocytes are believed to play a crucial role in viral containment, but the degree of immune imprinting and compensatory mutations in EC is unclear. We obtained plasma gag, pol, and nef sequences from HLA-diverse subjects and found that 30 to 40% of the predefined HLA-associated polymorphic sites show evidence of immune selection pressure in EC., compared to approximately 50% of the sites in chronic progressors. These data indicate ongoing viral replication and escape from cytotoxic T lymphocytes are present even in strictly controlled HTV-1 infection.