Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes Of Health; NIH News; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - Monday, October 22, 2007
Researchers led by Sunil Ahuja, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, examined genetic information from more than 3,500 HIV-1 infected and uninfected individuals. They found that individuals who had specific combinations of two genes-CCR5, which helps facilitate HIV entry into the cell, and CCL3L1, an immune response gene-were much more likely to have reduced immune responses and a greater decline in CD4 T cells, two hallmarks of progressive HIV disease. Further, the researchers found that in HIV-infected subjects, viral load contributed only 9 percent to the variability in rate of progression to AIDS; variations in CCR5 and CCL3L1 combined accounted for 6 percent variability in AIDS progression rates.
The findings may have implications for the care of HIV-infected individuals in terms of being able to more effectively predict the course of HIV disease. With further research, this work may lead to additional markers, which along with viral load, may serve as indicators of HIV progression. The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
ARTICLE: "CCL3L1 and CCR5 influence cell-mediated immunity and affect HIV-AIDS pathogenesis via viral entry-independent mechanisms" by Matthew J. Dolan et al. Nature Immunology (Published online Sunday, October 21, 2007). DOI: 10.1038/ni1521 (2007).
SPOKESPERSONS: Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director, and Opendra Sharma, Ph.D., a program officer in NIAID's Division of AIDS Pathogenesis and Basic Research Branch, are available to comment on this article.
CONTACT: To schedule interviews, contact the NIAID News and Public Information Branch, (301) 402-1663, http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
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Published 2007 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases . All material contained in this report is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission; citation to source, however, is appreciated.
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