Marker and an assay for detection and monitoring of human immunodeficiency virus latency and activation
First Claim
1. A method for assessment of HIV transcriptional activity and disease progression wherein nonprocessive transcription indicates viral latency and processive transcription indicates active viral gene expression, wherein the method comprises determining a ratio of total RNA transcripts to processive RNA transcripts in infected cells of HIV positive subjects, and correlating a change in said ratio with disease progression wherein total RNA transcripts plus long transcripts and wherein short transcripts consist of SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
1 as a leader sequence of the full length viral mRNA wherein the level of said ratio indicates nonprocessive or processive transcription and the change in said ratio indicates a transition from latency to activation and correlates with disease progression.
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Abstract
A marker and method for detection and monitoring of HIV latency and activation and an assay for detection of the marker. The assay sensitively detects HIV transcription and monitors HIV transcriptional activity by detecting the presence of short and long transcripts, quantifying both and determining the ratio of short to long transcripts. Short transcripts are abundant and a low ratio correlates with a latent-type transcriptional activity of HIV whereas the appearance of long transcripts signifies increased efficiency of transcriptional activity of HIV and the transition from latency to activation. The size difference between the TAR fragments appearing predominantly in latency and the full length transcripts appearing predominantly during the HIV activation is detected by RT-PCR assay that utilizes novel primers and probes. The results are expressed as a ratio of short to long transcripts. The obtained ratio is a sensitive tool in detection of HIV infection, the analysis of load of latent and active virus and monitoring the transition from the latent to active state of HIV replication.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for assessment of HIV transcriptional activity and disease progression wherein nonprocessive transcription indicates viral latency and processive transcription indicates active viral gene expression, wherein the method comprises determining a ratio of total RNA transcripts to processive RNA transcripts in infected cells of HIV positive subjects, and correlating a change in said ratio with disease progression wherein total RNA transcripts plus long transcripts and wherein short transcripts consist of SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
1 as a leader sequence of the full length viral mRNA wherein the level of said ratio indicates nonprocessive or processive transcription and the change in said ratio indicates a transition from latency to activation and correlates with disease progression. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
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5. A method for assessment of HIV transcriptional activity and disease progression wherein nonprocessive transcription indicates viral latency and processive transcription indicates active viral gene expression, wherein the methods comprises determining a ratio of nonprocessive RNA transcripts to processive RNA transcripts in infected cells of HIV positive subjects, and correlating a change in said ratio with disease progression wherein short transcripts consist of SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
1 as a leader sequence of the full length viral mRNA wherein the change in said ratio indicates a transition from latency to activation and correlates with disease progression.
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
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6. A method for assessment of HIV transcriptional activity and disease progression comprising determining the ratio of short nonprocessive RNA transcripts to long processive RNA transcripts wherein short transcripts consist of SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
1 as a leader sequence of the full length viral mRNA wherein nonprocessive transcription indicates viral latency and processive transcription indicates active viral gene expression and changes in the relative amounts of processive and nonprocessive transcripts are correlated with disease progression wherein a change in said ratio indicates a transition from latency to activation and correlates with disease progression.
- 1 and long transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
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7. An assay for monitoring HIV transcriptional activity and disease progression comprising determining relative levels of nonprocessive transcription and processive transcription, wherein short nonprocessive transcripts consist of SEQ ID NO:
- 1 and long processive transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
1 as a leader sequence of the full length vital mRNA, calculating these levels as a ratio, and correlating a change in said ratio with disease progression wherein a change in said ratio is correlated with a transition from latency to activation and correlates with disease progress. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
- 1 and long processive transcripts comprise SEQ ID NO;
Specification