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A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses
Published on: August 31, 2014
Species barrier of HIV-1 and its jumping by virus engineering
Masako Nomaguchi1, Naoya Doi, Kazuya Kamada
1Department of Virology, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
Abstract:
Monkey infection models are absolutely necessary for studies of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pathogenesis and of developing drugs/vaccines against HIV-1. In addition, currently unknown roles of its accessory proteins for in vivo replication await elucidation by experimental approaches. Due to the fact that HIV-1 is tropic only for chimpanzees and humans, studies of this line have been impeded for a long time, although various investigations have been carried out utilising genetically related SIV and SIV/HIV chimeric virus (SHIV) as pathogens. Recent findings of anti-HIV-1 innate factors such as tripartite motif protein 5alpha (TRIM5alpha) and APOBEC3G/F prompted us to re-initiate an old and vital research project which would, as a result, confer the capability to overcome the species barrier on the HIV-1. We currently have obtained, by virus engineering through genetic manipulation and adaptation, some new and promising HIV-1 clones for in vivo studies in macaque monkeys as mentioned above. In this review, we summarise the past, present and future of HIV-1/SIV chimeric viruses with special reference to relevant basic HIV-1/SIV studies.
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