Molecular Characterization of Mexican HIV-1 Vif Sequences.

The viral infectivity factor (Vif) is an HIV accessory protein that counteracts host anti-viral proteins of the APOBEC3 family. Accumulating evidence highlights the pivotal role that accessory HIV proteins have on disease pathogenesis, a fact that has made them targets of interest for novel therapeutic and preventative strategies. Little is known about Vif sequence diversity outside of African or Caucasoid populations. Mexico is home to Americas' third largest HIV-affected population and Mexican Hispanics represent an ever-increasing US minority. This study provides a detailed analysis of the diversity seen in 77 Mexican Vif protein sequences. Phylogenetic analysis shows that most sequences cluster with HIV-1 subtype B, while less than 10% exhibit greater similarity to subtype D and A subtypes. Although most functional motifs are conserved among the Mexican sequences, substantial diversity was seen in some APOBEC-binding sites, the nuclear localisation inhibitory signal and the CBFβ-interaction sites.