Envelope sequence variation and phylogenetic relations of human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 from endemic areas of Colombia
Dominguez, M.C.; Castillo, A.; Cabrera, J.; Eizuru, Y.; Garcia-Vallejo, F.
Aids Research and Human Retroviruses 18(12): 887-890
2002
ISSN/ISBN: 0889-2229 PMID: 12201912 DOI: 10.1089/08892220260190371Document Number: 259718
The HTLV-1 envelope gene of 12 TSP/HAM patients from two endemic areas of southwest Colombia (Tumaco and Buenaventura) was amplified by nested PCR, sequenced, and compared with previously reported HTLV-1 envelope sequences from isolates worldwide. In general, the sequence divergences among all Colombian samples ranged from 0.1 to 1.6%. Some amino acid substitutions, referring to the ATK-1 prototype strain in the surface domain gp46 and in p21, were highly prevalent in southwest Colombia, suggesting a geographical clustering of mutations in the envelope gene. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the Colombian isolates belong to the HTLV-1a lineage with minor subgroups. The genetic distance between Colombian and Japanese isolates ranged from 0.1 to 1.8%; in comparison, the genetic distance between Colombian and Caribbean isolates ranged from 0.4 to 2.2%. Our results strongly suggest that the actual quasispecies populations in southwest Colombia have been generated by separate, differently timed introductions of virus.