Genome and Molecular Epidemiology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Since the identification of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the etiologic agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) more than 20 years ago, substantial efforts have been made to study various aspects of this virus and the disease with tremendous progresses accomplished. In the first part of the talk, the basic virology of HIV, including its classification, genome organization, virion structure, replication cycle and functions of different genes, will be focused. Like other retroviruses, the replication cycles of HIV-1 consists of entry, reverse transcription, integration, transcription, translation, assembly, budding and maturation. HIV-1 infection is characterized by high levels of virus replication and an extraordinary rate of virus turn-over. Although therapy for HIV /AIDS has changed considerably after the introduction of potent antiretroviral agents and sensitive techniques of monitoring plasma viral load, it is imperative that interventions targeting different steps of HIV-1 life cycle be continuously explored. Thus, the molecular mechanisms of entry, integration and newly identified function of accessory proteins (nef, vif, vpu, and vpr) will be discussed. Elucidation of the mechanisms of intervention strategies may provide us new opportunities to combat this challenging virus. In the second part of this talk, the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1, including the subtypes, circulating recombinant forms (CRF), and their global geographic distribution as well as prevalence in Taiwan, will be presented. Understanding the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 will not only provide critical information for vaccine development in the future, but also important information for effective control of the spread of this virus.