HIV co-receptor tropism usage: first report from the Iranian patients

Aim: The HIV-V3 sequence influences tropism via the interaction of HIV with CCR5 and CXCR4 coreceptors; however, no consistent sequence accounts for R5 or X4-virus. Methods: RT-Nested PCR was performed to define V3-tropism in 123 samples using genotypic methods, including Geno2Pheno, WebPSSM, PhenoSeq, Net Charge and the 11/25 rule. Results: Among the samples studied, the HIV-1 R5 tropic viruses were predominant. However, X4 tropism could be a reason for the higher risk of treatment failure. A good accordance was observed between paired DNA/RNA tropism results. Conclusion: CCR5 inhibitors can be crucial in simplifying HIV treatment in Iranian patients. X4-virus is a risk factor for treatment failure. Proviral DNA (pvDNA) tropism result can be an appropriate target for V3-tropism determination.

Automated summary

The HIV-V3 sequence plays a role in determining the tropism of HIV, but no consistent sequence can explain the tropism of R5 or X4 virus. This study found that R5 tropic viruses were predominant in the samples studied, but X4 tropism may increase the risk of treatment failure. There was good agreement between the DNA/RNA tropism results.