Construction and characterization of a full-length infectious molecular clone from the HIV type 1 subtype Thai-B isolated in Henan Province, China

Among the various subtypes of the M group of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), subtype Thai-B is the most prevalent in China, particularly in the country's central region. Here we report on the construction of an infectious molecular clone (CNHN24) of this HIV-1 subtype. We show that the viral stock obtained after transfection of CHNH24 could replicate efficiently in PBMC and MT4 cells. Unlike other previously reported HIV infectious clones, CNHN24 was constructed with the low copy plasmid pLG338, allowing for the HIV genome to be very stable during the process of molecular manipulation. Given the prevalence of subtype Thai-B in China's HIV epidemic, the availability of pCNHN24 as the first infectious molecular clone of this subtype provides a useful tool for a wide range of studies including antiviral drug and vaccine research as related to this subtype of viruses.