Q148N, a Novel Integrase Inhibitor Resistance Mutation Associated with Low-Level Reduction in Elvitegravir Susceptibility

The integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-resistance mutations Q148H/K/R are arguably the most important INSTI-resistance mutations as they represented the first step to high-level dolutegravir cross-resistance. We describe an individual with transmitted four-class drug resistance whose virus sequence had the previously uncharacterized mutation Q148N. Infectious molecular HIV-1 clones containing Q148N alone and in combination with G140S demonstrated ∼2.4-4.5 reduced elvitegravir susceptibility depending on the virus's genetic context but retained susceptibility to raltegravir and dolutegravir. This level of reduced elvitegravir susceptibility is lower than that observed with Q148H/K/R and in fact the infected individual responded to an initial treatment regimen containing tenofovir/emtricitabine/elvitegravir/cobicistat. Q148N was associated with a higher replication capacity than Q148H, suggesting that this mutation may be more fit in the absence of selective INSTI therapy.