Genotypes at chromosome 22q12-13 are associated with HIV-1-exposed but uninfected status in Italians.
OBJECTIVE
Despite multiple and repeated exposures to HIV-1, some individuals possess no detectable HIV genome and show T-cell memory responses to the viral antigens. HIV-1-reactive mucosal IgA detected in such uninfected individuals suggests their possible immune resistance against HIV. We tested if the above HIV-1-exposed but uninfected status was associated with genetic markers other than a homozygous deletion of the CCR5 gene.


METHODS
Based on our mapping in chromosome 15 of a gene controlling the production of neutralizing antibodies in a mouse retrovirus infection, we genotyped 42 HIV-1-exposed but uninfected Italians at polymorphic loci in the syntenic segment of human chromosome 22, and compared them with 49 HIV-1-infected and 47 uninfected healthy control individuals by a closed testing procedure.


RESULTS
A significant association was found between chromosome 22q12-13 genotypes and a putative dominant locus conferring anti-HIV-1 immune responses in the exposed but uninfected individuals. Distributions of linkage disequilibrium across chromosome 22 also differed between the exposed but uninfected and two other phenotypic groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The data indicated the presence of a new genetic factor associated with the HIV-1-exposed but uninfected status.
Kanari
Yasuyoshi
Y
Department of Immunology, Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka, Japan.
Clerici
Mario
M
Abe
Hiroyuki
H
Kawabata
Hiroyuki
H
Trabattoni
Daria
D
Caputo
Sergio Lo
SL
Mazzotta
Francesco
F
Fujisawa
Hironori
H
Niwa
Atsuko
A
Ishihara
Chiaki
C
Takei
Yumiko A
YA
Miyazawa
Masaaki
M
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002884:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 / Q000235:genetics; D002892:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22 / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000235:genetics; D007558:Italy / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D019562:Viral Load
D015483:HIV Antibodies