Biopolym. Cell. 1998; 14(4):277-285.
Genetic characterization of HIV-1 variants in Ukraine
1Grebenjuk V. A., 1Anoprienko O. V., 1Skorokhod A. S., 2Marichev I. L., 1Kavsan V. M.
  1. Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, NAS of Ukraine
    150, Akademika Zabolotnoho Str., Kyiv, Ukraine, 03680
  2. Gromashevsky L.V. Institute of Epidemiology and Infection Diseases, AMS of Ukraine
    5, Amosova Str., Kyiv, Ukraine, 03038
Here we report first results on genetic characterization of HIV-I samples from Ukraine using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and viral genes sequencing. PCR was done on DNA from uncultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 7 male (all homosexual) and 2 female (one heterosexual and one injection drug user, IDV) HIV-1 seropositive individuals. After the PCR products cloning partial sequencing of HIV-1 gag gene (0.56 kb, p17-p24), HIV-I env gene (1.1 kb, CS-C5), and HIV-1 nef gene were performed. Nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences were aligned to reference strains of different HIV-1 subtypes by CLUSTAL method and phylogenetic neighbor-joining trees were generated. By the results of phylogenetic analysis two HIV-1 samples (one from IDV and one from male homosexual) belonged to subtype A while others were clustered to subtype B by nucieotide as welt as by amino acid sequences. Most closely related env sequences wen; found in samples from a couple of homosexual partners. One rare V3 tip tetramer (RPGR) was found in subtype B env sequence. All three sequenced samples of HIV-I nef genes belonged to the subtype R. One nef sequence contains unusually long insert in Hie N-terminal region