title: The -137G/C polymorphism of interleukin 18 promoter and risk of HIV-1 infection and its progression to AIDS.
abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that host genetic factors play an important role both in susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection and in progression to AIDS. Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic proinflammatory cytokine that serves as an important regulator of immune responses. It plays a key role in induction of both Th1 and Th2 cytokines and, thereby, modulates their immune responses. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-18 gene promoter region may lead to an altered transcriptional activity and IL-18 production, and so this may account for individuals' variation to the risk of HIV-1 infection. With this perspective, the -137G/C polymorphism in the promoter region of the IL-18 gene was studied in 500 patients with HIV-1/AIDS and an equal number of sex and age matched healthy controls using sequence specific polymerase chain reaction analysis. We did not observe any significant association of the heterozygous G/C genotype with the risk of HIV-1-infection/AIDS. However, statistically signiﬁcant associations of the G allele and homozygous G/G genotype of -137 G/C polymorphism of IL-18 promoter with increased risk of HIV-1/AIDS were identiﬁed. The data of the present study suggest that IL-18 -137 G allele and G/G genotype seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection among North Indians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. rcsobti@pu.ac.in
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Sobti
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abitew
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Berhane
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mahdi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Askari
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Kuttiat
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wanchu
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18