title: Blood soluble human leukocyte antigen G levels are associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection in Beninese commercial sex workers.
abstract: Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is a powerful modulator of the immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) expression is associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. HIV-1-infected female commercial sex workers (CSWs) had significantly lower levels of plasma sHLA-G compared with those in both the HIV-1-uninfected CSW and the non-CSW groups. The presence of HLA-G*010101, HLA-G*010404 alleles, and the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) genetic variant at position 3,952 were all significantly associated with lower plasma sHLA-G levels in the HIV-1-infected CSWs, whereas the HLA-G 3'UTR 14-bp sequence insertion was also associated with lower plasma sHLA-G levels in the overall population. When adjustment was made for all significant variables, the reduced expression of sHLA-G in the plasma remained significantly associated with HIV-1 infection and the HLA-G 3'UTR 14-bp insertion homozygote genotype. This study demonstrates that low levels of plasma sHLA-G are associated with HIV-1 infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Immunogénétique, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lajoie
authors.forename: Marguerite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massinga Loembe
authors.forename: Johanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poudrier
authors.forename: Fernand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guédou
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pépin
authors.forename: Annie-Claude
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Labbé
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alary
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001541:Benin; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D011477:Sex Work
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I