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Dehydrogenase Activity of Infected Cells and Biological Properties of HIV-1 Variants

M. Yu. Shchelkanov1, V. F. Eremin2, I. B. Sakhuriya1, V. V. Burunova1,3, T. V. Pavlova1, G. V. Kornilaeva1, and E. V. Karamov1,3*

1Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, ul. Gamalei 16, Moscow, 123098 Russia; fax: (095) 190-2867

2Belorussian Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Minsk, Belarus

3Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received July 1, 1998; Revision received January 2, 1999
Changes in dehydrogenase activity of some continuous cell lines were studied during the response to acute infection in vitro with HIV-1 variants having different biological features. Soon after infection, the dehydrogenase activity of infected cells increased, and this increase was greater and more prolonged with the HIV-1 r/h variant than with the HIV-1 s/l variant. Later stages showed decreased dehydrogenase activity of HIV-1-infected cells compared to the noninfected control; this is a manifestation of the cytodestructive effect of the virus. The changes increased monotonously (but not in direct proportion) with an increase in the infecting dose.
KEY WORDS: HIV, MTT, tetrazolium salts, formazan, dehydrogenases, phenotype