Short Communication: Characterization of a New HIV-1 Group N Isolate Originating from a Cameroonian Patient

HIV-1 group N (HIV-1/N) remains rare and mainly restricted to Cameroon. In this study, we report a new HIV-1/N infected case identified during routine HIV screening activities in Yaounde. The genetic characterization of the near full-length genome of this virus strain revealed that it is genetically distinct to all HIV-1/N described to date. However, the Vpu protein responsible for tetherin antagonism displayed the same amino acid substitutions (E15A, V19A, I25L, and V26L) as other HIV-1/N from Cameroon.

Qualitative computational bioanalytics: assembly of viral channel-forming peptides around mono and divalent ions

A fine-grained docking protocol was used to generate a bundle-like structure of the bitopic membrane protein Vpu from HIV-1. Vpu is a type I membrane protein with 81 amino acids. It is proposed that Vpu forms ion- and substrate-conducting bundles, which are located at the plasma membrane in the infected cell. The Vpu1-32 peptide that includes the transmembrane domain (TMD) is assembled into homo-pentameric bundles around prepositioned Na, K, Ca or Cl ions. For bundles with the lowest energy, the TMDs generate a hydrophobic pore. Bundles in which Ser-24 faces the pore have higher energy. The tilt of the helices in the lowest energy bundles is larger than bundles with serines facing the pore. Left-handed bundles are lowest in energy where the ions are located at the serines.