National Cancer Institute other research news
Researchers published a possible link between a gene mutation and progression of HIV infection to AIDS. The deletion in the chemokine receptor CKR5, previously identified as a co-receptor for HIV entry, appeared in about 10 percent of the population sampled. Frequency was 0.115 in Caucasians in the sample, and 0.017 in African Americans.
The chemokine receptor serves as a secondary receptor for macrophage-tropic isolates of HIV-1. As reported in Science, the gene was mapped to chromosome 3p21, and a 32 base pair deletion was identified. In a sample of 1,955 patients in several AIDS registries, homozygotes (identical alleles) for the deletion were found only among the 612 people who did not have HIV-1 antibodies despite exposure to the virus. No homozygotes were found in the 1,343 people who were infected. ...