The goals of this project are to determine the frequency and mechanisms of HIV recombination, to characterize potential recombination between divergent lentiviruses, and to examine the properties of recombinant viruses. We have measured HIV-1 recombination rates at several distances and demonstrated that recombination is a very powerful tool for reassorting the HIV-1 genome. We are currently examining whether other lentiviruses can also recombines at high frequencies. We have identified a major restriction to intersubtype HIV-1 recombination, and are currently studying other restrictions to HIV recombination and replication. We have extended these studies to examine whether distinct lentiviruses can recombine with one another. In addition to studying the frequency and limitation of recombination, it is also important to understand the consequences of recombination. To address this aspect of recombination, we are currently examining the properties of recombinant viruses, and whether certain recombinants have a selective advantage in a given environment. Because it is thought that zoonotic events generated both HIV-1 and HIV-2, we have also constructed hybrid viruses to study whether recombination can facilitate the adaptation to new hosts.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 12 publications
