title: HLA and AIDS: a cautionary tale.
abstract: The human major histocompatibility complex HLA has been implicated repeatedly as a regulator of the outcome of HIV exposure and infection. A new study of long-term survivors who naturally depress HIV-1 replication and avoid the signs of AIDS for years after infection suggests that homozygosity for a group of HLA-B locus alleles termed Bw4 confers resistance, ostensibly by regulating natural killer cell-ligand interactions. However, close inspection of the accumulated evidence raises some questions and urges validation of the potential Bw4 effects in additional studies.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrington
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D000483:Alleles; D018450:Disease Progression; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D020276:HIV Long-Term Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D015235:HLA-B Antigens