A highly divergent HIV-2-related isolate

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Genetics
• Primatology

Background:

• Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) and simian immunodeficiency virus from rhesus macaques (SIVmac) are thought to have evolved from the sooty mangabey virus SIVsm.
• Understanding the evolutionary history and diversity of these viruses is crucial for public health and vaccine development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize a novel HIV-2 related isolate, HIV-2-D205, from a healthy individual in Ghana.
• To investigate the genetic relationship of HIV-2-D205 to prototypic HIV-2 strains, SIVsm, and SIVmac.
• To explore the implications of HIV-2-D205's genetic distinctiveness on the evolutionary timeline of HIV-2 and related simian viruses.

Main Methods:

• Phylogenetic analysis of viral genetic sequences.
• Comparative analysis of viral envelope glycoprotein processing.
• Isolation and characterization of novel viral strains from human samples.

Main Results:

• The novel isolate HIV-2-D205 was identified in a healthy Ghanaian woman.
• HIV-2-D205 is genetically equidistant from prototypic HIV-2 strains and SIVsm/SIVmac.
• HIV-2-D205 exhibits differences in envelope glycoprotein processing compared to other strains.

Conclusions:

• HIV-2-D205 may represent a distinct HIV-2 subtype.
• The findings suggest that viruses within the HIV-2/SIVsm/SIVmac group may have infected humans prior to the divergence of HIV-2 and SIVsm/SIVmac.
• This discovery provides new insights into the complex evolutionary history of lentiviruses and their zoonotic potential.