Fidelity of human immunodeficiency virus type I reverse transcriptase in copying natural DNA

Reverse transcriptase from the human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) was expressed in E. coli and purified to near homogeneity. The enzyme was shown to contain reverse transcriptase, DNA polymerase and ribonuclease H activities. The DNA polymerase activity converted singly-primed phi X174 (+) DNA into the double-stranded form. Two third of the replication product is ligatable to covalently closed circular DNA (RFIV-form DNA) indicating that DNA synthesis by HIV reverse transcriptase can proceed until the enzyme matches the 5'-end of a pre-existing primer molecule. The in vitro accuracy of HIV reverse transcriptase was measured with the phi X174am16 reversion assay to be 1/7,400. Reversion rates for the individual mispairs were determined from pool bias studies to be 1/8,000 for the dGMP:T template mismatch, 1/35,000 for the dGMP:A template mismatch, 1/45,000 for the dAMP:G template mismatch, 1/73,000 for the dCMP:T template mispair, 1/140,000 for the dCMP:A template mispair, and 1/180,000 for the dGMP:G template mismatch. The dTMP:T template mispair was below the detection limit of the assay indicating a reversion rate of less than 1/300,000 for this particular mispair.