Preferential survival of cells expressing the maC46 fusion inhibitor following HIV-1 infection.

<p>A. Flow cytometric analysis for expression of GFP and HIV-1 p24 Gag at the indicated times post-infection. Non-transduced CEMx174 cells were mixed with transduced cells expressing the maC46 inhibitors such that approximately 25–30% of the cells were GFP⁺. Mixtures of cells were then infected with HIV-1_NL4-3 at a MOI of 10⁻³ TCID₅₀ per cell. Expression of HIV-1 p24 Gag and GFP were determined by flow cytometry on days 5, 9, 14 and 21. B. Survival advantage of cells expressing maC46 following HIV-1 infection. Mixtures of non-transduced CEMx174 cells and transduced cells expressing the shI, maC46, and antisense <i>env</i> inhibitors, or transduced with the HJ57 control vector (GFP) were generated such that approximately 25–30% of the cells were GFP⁺. Cells were then infected with HIV-1_NL4-3 at MOI of 10⁻³ TCID₅₀ per cell or remained uninfected. The percentage of GFP⁺ cells in the absence of HIV-1 infection was stable for each vector examined over the 21 day culture period (data not shown). C. Mixtures of non-transduced CEMx174 cells and cells transduced with vectors expressing either the sh(<i>tat/rev</i>), antisense env (VRX494), or the maC46 fusion inhibitors, were generated at the ratios indicated at time 0 and then infected with HIV-1_NL4-3 at an MOI of 10⁻³ TCID₅₀/cell. Initial mixtures of vector-transduced CEMx174 cells ranged from 1% up to 95% GFP⁺ cells. The percentage of GFP⁺ cells was determined by flow cytometry at the indicated times post-infection.