Interaction of HIV and the human innate immune system: Human Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing Enzyme-catalytic Polypeptide-like 3G

APOBEC3G is a protein family that interferes with the replication of the HIV virus by altering the genomic sequence of the virus. To combat this, the virus evolves a countermeasure in the form of a protein called Viral Infectivity Factor (vif) binds to APOBEC to reduce its effectiveness. In vitro, dilutions from zero to 1mg of APOBEC3G are injected into HIV infected cells. The cells’ DNA sequences were analyzed to determine the nucleotide modification patterns cause by the protein. It was found that a hypermutation of guanine to adenine occurs in the cell. The modification was expanded to dinucleotides and trinucleotides. For dinucleotides, guanine preceded by guanine alters to guanine preceding adenine and adenine preceding guanine, and thymine precedes guanine the sequence modifies to thymine preceding guanine. Adenine preceding guanine preceding guanine, guanine preceding guanine preceding adenine and guanine preceding adenine preceding guanine converges from guanine preceding guanine preceding guanine to adenine preceding adenine preceding adenine and guanine preceding guanine preceding thymine alters to adenine preceding guanine preceding thymine for the trinucleotides transformation. More understanding of the effects of APOBEC3G modification on the virus’ DNA sequences will lead to future development of an effective vaccine and drugs to cure and diminish the progression of AIDS.