Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Objective
Viral fitness plays an important role in HIV-1 evolution, transmission and pathogenesis. However, how mutations accumulated during early infection affect viral fitness has not been well studied.Methods
Paired infectious molecular clones (IMCs) for transmitted/founder (T/F) and 6-month (6-mo) viruses post infection were generated from 10 infected individuals to investigate the impact of accumulated mutations on viral fitness by comparing 6-mo viruses to their cognate T/F viruses.Results
All ten 6-mo viruses were less fit than their cognate T/F viruses. Moreover, the fitness losses of the 6-mo viruses correlated with the decrease in viral loads from the peak of viremia.Conclusion
These results show that the mutations accumulated during half a year post infection collectively reduce viral fitness and thereby contribute to lowering viral loads.
SUBMITTER: Wang C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7010540 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature