Absence of-Related Hypermutations in theandProviral Genes in FIV Naturally Infected Cats.

Abstract

Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3; A3) proteins comprise an important family of restriction factors that produce hypermutations on proviral DNA and are able to limit virus replication. Vif, an accessory protein present in almost all lentiviruses, counteracts the antiviral A3 activity. Seven haplotypes of() were described in domestic cats (hap I⁻VII), and in-vitro studies have demonstrated that these proteins reduce infectivity of vif-defective feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Moreover, hap V is resistant to vif-mediated degradation. However, studies on the effect ofin FIV-infected cats have not been developed. Here, the correlation between APOBEChaplotypes in domestic cats and the frequency of hypermutations in the FIVandgenes were assessed in a retrospective cohort study with 30 blood samples collected between 2012 and 2016 from naturally FIV-infected cats in Brazil. Theandsequences were analyzed and displayed low or undetectable levels of hypermutations, and could not be associated with any specifichaplotype.