Apolipoprotein B mRNA—Editing Enzyme, Catalytic Polypeptide—Like 3G: A Possible Role in the Resistance to HIV of HIV-Exposed Seronegative Individuals

Apolipoprotein B mRNA—editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide—like 3G (APOBEC3G), a human cytidine deaminase, is a potent inhibitor of HIV replication. To explore a possible role of this protein in modulating in vivo susceptibility to HIV infection, we analyzed APOBEC3G expression in HIVexposed seronegative individuals, HIV-seropositive patients, and healthy control subjects. The results showed that the expression of APOBEC3G is significantly increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)—mainly CD14+ cells—and in cervical tissues of HIV-exposed seronegative individuals. Higher APOBEC3G expression correlated with a reduced susceptibility of PBMCs to in vitro infection with the HIV-1Ba-L R5 strain. APOBEC3G could be important in modulating in vivo susceptibility to sexually transmitted HIV infection.