A pan-HIV strategy for complete genome sequencing

Abstract

Molecular surveillance is essential to monitor HIV diversity and track emerging strains. We have developed a universal library preparation method (HIV-SMART [i.e., switching mechanism at 5= end of RNA transcript]) for next-generation sequencing that harnesses the specificity of HIV-directed priming to enable full genome characterization of all HIV-1 groups (M, N, O, and P) and HIV-2. Broad application of the HIV-SMART approach was demonstrated using a panel of diverse cell-cultured virus isolates. HIV-1 non-subtype B-infected clinical specimens from Cameroon were then used to optimize the protocol to sequence directly from plasma. When multiplexing 8 or more libraries per MiSeq run, full genome coverage at a median-2,000-depth was routinely obtained for either sample type. The method reproducibly generated the same consensus sequence, consistently identified viral sequence heterogeneity present in specimens, and at viral loads of<4.5 log copies/ml yielded sufficient coverage to permit strain classification. HIV-SMART provides an unparalleled opportunity to identify diverse HIV strains in patient specimens and to determine phylogenetic classification based on the entire viral genome. Easily adapted to sequence any RNA virus, this technology illustrates the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for viral characterization and surveillance.