HLA-G 3′ Untranslated Region 14—Base Pair Deletion: Association With Poor Survival in an HIV-1—Infected Zimbabwean Population

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases 2013-03, Vol.207 (6), p.903-906
• Main Authors: Larsen, Margit Hørup, Zinyama, Rutendo, Kallestrup, Per, Gerstoft, Jan, Gomo, Exnevia, Thørner, Lise Wegner, Berg, Trine Baldorf, Erikstrup, Christian, Ullum, Henrik
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3' Untranslated Regions - genetics; Adult; AIDS; Alleles; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Cellular immunity; Disease Progression; Disease risks; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genotype; Genotypes; HIV; HIV 1; HIV Infections - genetics; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV/AIDS; HLA-G Antigens - genetics; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Male; Medical sciences; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Polymorphism, Genetic; Proportional Hazards Models; RNA; RNA, Viral - blood; Rural Population; Sequence Deletion; Survival Rate; T lymphocytes; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids; Viral Load; Virology; Zimbabwe
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jis924

We aimed to evaluate whether the HLA-G 14—base pair (bp) polymorphism (rs16375) has an impact on human immunodeficiency virus HIV progression and survival in an antiretroviral therapy—naive Zimbabwean cohort (n = 312). Rs16375 was genotyped using a competitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction system; CD4 cell counts and HIV RNA were measured with flow cytometry and commercially available polymerase chain reaction; survival was followed up for 4.3 years. The homozygous HLA-G - 14-bp genotype is associated with higher viral load (P = .004), lower CD4 cell count (P = .01), and increased mortality (hazard ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.033—3.522; P = .04) compared with HLA-G + 14-bp carriers.