Wright, J. K.Novitsky, VladimirBrockman, M. A.Brumme, Z. L.Brumme, C. J.Carlson, J. M.Heckerman, D.Wang, B.Losina, E.Leshwedi, M.van der Stok, M.Maphumulo, L.Mkhwanazi, N.Chonco, F.Goulder, P. J. R.Essex, MyronWalker, B. D.Ndung, T.2016-04-202011Wright, J. K., V. Novitsky, M. A. Brockman, Z. L. Brumme, C. J. Brumme, J. M. Carlson, D. Heckerman, et al. 2011. “Influence of Gag-Protease-Mediated Replication Capacity on Disease Progression in Individuals Recently Infected with HIV-1 Subtype C.” Journal of Virology 85 (8) (February 2): 3996–4006. doi:10.1128/jvi.02520-10.0022-538Xhttp://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:26667504HLA class I-mediated selection of immune escape mutations in functionally important Gag epitopes may partly explain slower disease progression in HIV-1-infected individuals with protective HLA alleles. To investigate the impact of Gag function on disease progression, the replication capacities of viruses encoding Gag-protease from 60 individuals in early HIV-1 subtype C infection were assayed in an HIV-1-inducible green fluorescent protein reporter cell line and were correlated with subsequent disease progression. Replication capacities did not correlate with viral load set points (P = 0.37) but were significantly lower in individuals with below-median viral load set points (P = 0.03), and there was a trend of correlation between lower replication capacities and lower rates of CD4 decline (P = 0.09). Overall, the proportion of host HLA-specific Gag polymorphisms in or adjacent to epitopes was negatively associated with replication capacities (P = 0.04), but host HLA-B-specific polymorphisms were associated with higher viral load set points (P = 0.01). Further, polymorphisms associated with host-specific protective HLA alleles were linked with higher viral load set points (P = 0.03). These data suggest that transmission or early HLA-driven selection of Gag polymorphisms results in reduced early cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses and higher viral load set points. In support of the former, 46% of individuals with nonprotective alleles harbored a Gag polymorphism exclusively associated with a protective HLA allele, indicating a high rate of their transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, HIV disease progression is likely to be affected by the ability to mount effective Gag CTL responses as well as the replication capacity of the transmitted virus.en-USJournal Article2016-04-2010.1128/JVI.02520-10