Entire Genome of a Strain of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 with a Deletion of nef That Was Recovered 20 Years after Primary Infection: Large Pool of Proviruses with Deletions of env

Abstract

We report the complete sequence analysis of the provirus harbored in a long-term nonprogressor (patient SG1) 20 years after the first infection with a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strain lacking nef . The sequencing showed large deletions in the nef-nef and nef- U3 regions. Except for vpu , all of the other accessory genes were intact. The gag and pol genes did not show significant alterations. We found large deletions in env , spanning the V1, V2, V3, V4, and V5 regions. We believe that, when down-regulation of the class 1 major histocompatibility complex molecules is inhibited by the lack of nef function, the cells containing Env-defective molecules evade cytotoxic T lymphocyte killing and accumulate progressively.