Association between regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) -28C/G polymorphism and susceptibility to HIV-1 infection: a meta-analysis

The Association between CCL5/RANTES SNPs and Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection: A Meta-Analysis

Genetic polymorphisms in genes that encode natural ligands of CCR5 (the main human HIV coreceptor), such as CCL5/RANTES, can alter the levels of secretion of these peptides. This article sought to review the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CCL5/RANTES and HIV-1 disease susceptibility. A meta-analysis was conducted through 17 articles found from January 1999 to December 2022 in the PUBMED, Science Direct, Medline, and SciELO databases. A total of three SNPs were identified and investigated under their dominant genotypic model and through a fixed-effects model. In terms of the SNP rs2107538 (G > A), in Africa and Asia, it has a protective role (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.41-0.76; p = 0.0002, and OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.76-1.02; p = 0.08, respectively). In terms of the SNP rs2280788 (C > G), in Europe and America, it shows a higher risk role (OR = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.06-3.47; p = 0.03, and OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.94-1.11; p = 0.04, respectively), but in the population of Asia, with its mutant allele, it has a protective role (OR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.63-0.93; p = 0.007). In terms of the SNP rs2280789 (T > C), no significant associations were found. Both SNPs rs2107538 and rs2280788 have a positive transcriptional effect on the RANTES/CCL5 gene, while SNP rs2280789 causes a decrease in gene expression levels. This study suggests that there is an association between the increased expression of CCL5/RANTES and a lower risk of AIDS. Therefore, further studies are needed to arrive at a definitive conclusion, and these results may help establish scientific bases for effective HIV/AIDS control strategies.

Haplotypes in CCR5-CCR2, CCL3 and CCL5 are associated with natural resistance to HIV-1 infection in a Colombian cohort

INTRODUCTION

Variants in genes encoding for HIV-1 co-receptors and their natural ligands have been individually associated to natural resistance to HIV-1 infection. However, the simultaneous presence of these variants has been poorly studied.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of single and multilocus haplotypes in genes coding for the viral co-receptors CCR5 and CCR2, and their ligands CCL3 and CCL5, with resistance or susceptibility to HIV-1 infection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Nine variants in CCR5-CCR2, two SNPs in CCL3 and two in CCL5 were genotyped by PCR-RFLP in 35 seropositive (cases) and 49 HIV-1-exposed seronegative Colombian individuals (controls). Haplotypes were inferred using the Arlequin software, and their frequency in individual or combined loci was compared between cases and controls by the chi-square test. A p' value ;0.05 after Bonferroni correction was considered significant.

RESULTS

Homozygosis of the human haplogroup (HH) E was absent in controls and frequent in cases, showing a tendency to susceptibility. The haplotypes C-C and T-T in CCL3 were associated with susceptibility (p'=0.016) and resistance (p';0.0001) to HIV-1 infection, respectively. Finally, in multilocus analysis, the haplotype combinations formed by HHC in CCR5-CCR2, T-T in CCL3 and G-C in CCL5 were associated with resistance (p'=0.006).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that specific combinations of variants in genes from the same signaling pathway can define an HIV-1 resistant phenotype. Despite our small sample size, our statistically significant associations suggest strong effects; however, these results should be further validated in larger cohorts.

The Effects of RANTES Polymorphisms on Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection and Disease Progression: Evidence from an Updated Meta-Analysis

Associations of regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) -403G/A, -28C/G, and In1.1T/C polymorphisms with HIV-1 infection and the progression of HIV-1 disease have been widely reported with inconsistent results. To clarify this situation, we performed an updated meta-analysis of all available studies from PubMed, EMBASE, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. A total of 24 eligible studies involving more than 10,000 subjects were included. By using the healthy controls, we found that -403G/A polymorphism was significantly associated with reduced susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in G/A+A/A versus GG (odds ratio [OR] = 0.755, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.581-0.982); and a significantly decreased risk was also found for -28C/G polymorphisms (G vs. C, OR = 0.804, 95% CI = 0.696-0.927; G/G+C/G vs. C/C, OR = 0.826, 95% CI = 0.704-0.969). Whereas for In1.1T/C polymorphism, increased risk of HIV-1 infection was revealed (C vs. T, OR = 1.216, 95% CI = 1.047-1.430; T/C vs. T/T, OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.263-2.234; T/C+T/T vs. C/C, OR = 1.466, 95% CI = 1.147-1.875). Subgroup analyses by ethnicity showed significant association among Asians, but not among Caucasians. When HIV-1-exposed seronegative (HESN) controls were used, no significant association was detected. Moreover, -403G/A and -28C/G polymorphisms were also not associated with long-term nonprogressive HIV-1 infection (all p > .05). This meta-analysis suggests that RANTES -403G/A and -28C/G polymorphisms confer possible protection against HIV-1 infection, whereas In1.1T/C polymorphism may increase risk of HIV-1 infection, especially in Asians. These results may contribute to finding a theoretical basis for effective control strategies against HIV/AIDS. Further investigations are needed to validate our conclusions.

Association between chemotactic chemokine ligand 5 -403G/A polymorphism and risk of human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection: a meta-analysis

Background

The association between chemotactic chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) -403G/A gene polymorphism and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection has been illustrated among several case-control studies, but the conclusions are still inconsistent. Here we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the association.

Methods

The published studies based upon the association between CCL5 -403G/A polymorphism and HIV-1 infection were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database. Quantitative synthesis, including pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), was performed for all genetic models.

Results

A total of ten studies consisting of 5,127 subjects were included for this meta-analysis. There was no association found between -403G/A polymorphism and HIV-1 infection in the overall analysis under any genetic models. Further stratified by ethnicity, our analysis showed that -403A/A polymorphism significantly decreased the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in three models: the dominant model (AA+AG vs GG: OR =0.44, 95% CI =0.21–0.94) among Africans, the homozygous model (AA vs GG: OR =0.62, 95% CI =0.242–0.90), and the recessive model (AA vs GG+AG: OR =0.62, 95% CI =0.45–0.93) among Asians.

Conclusion

We found that only Asians and Africans with CCL5 -403A/A polymorphism could be resistant to HIV-1 infection. However, further studies should be performed to evaluate this association on ethnic basis against control groups consisting of individuals who have once been exposed to HIV-1 but are seronegative.

A new mouse model for female genital schistosomiasis

BACKGROUND

Over 112 million people worldwide are infected with Schistosoma haematobium, one of the most prevalent schistosome species affecting humans. Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) occurs when S. haematobium eggs are deposited into the female reproductive tract by adult worms, which can lead to pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, genital disfigurement and infertility. Recent evidence suggests co-infection with S. haematobium increases the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. The associated mechanisms remain unclear due to the lack of a tractable animal model. We sought to create a mouse model conducive to the study of immune modulation and genitourinary changes that occur with FGS.

METHODS

To model FGS in mice, we injected S. haematobium eggs into the posterior vaginal walls of 30 female BALB/c mice. A control group of 20 female BALB/c mice were injected with uninfected LVG hamster tissue extract. Histology, flow cytometry and serum cytokine levels were assessed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks post egg injection. Voiding studies were performed at 1 week post egg injection.

RESULTS

Vaginal wall injection with S. haematobium eggs resulted in synchronous vaginal granuloma development within 2 weeks post-egg injection that persisted for at least 6 additional weeks. Flow cytometric analysis of vaginal granulomata revealed infiltration by CD4+ T cells with variable expression of the HIV co-receptors CXCR4 and CCR5. Granulomata also contained CD11b+F4/80+ cells (macrophages and eosinophils) as well as CXCR4+MerTK+ macrophages. Strikingly, vaginal wall-injected mice featured significant urinary frequency despite the posterior vagina being anatomically distant from the bladder. This may represent a previously unrecognized overactive bladder response to deposition of schistosome eggs in the vagina.

CONCLUSION

We have established a new mouse model that could potentially enable novel studies of genital schistosomiasis in females. Ongoing studies will further explore the mechanisms by which HIV target cells may be drawn into FGS-associated vaginal granulomata.

Gene polymorphisms in CCR5, CCR2, SDF1 and RANTES among Chinese Han population with HIV-1 infection

Chemokines and chemokine receptors are crucial for immune response in HIV-1 infection. Although many studies have been done to investigate the relationship between chemokines and chemokine receptor gene polymorphisms and host's susceptibility to HIV-1 infection, the conclusions are under debate. In the present study, a cohort of 287 HIV-1 seropositive patients, 388 ethnically age-matched healthy controls and 49 intravenous drug users (IDUs) HIV-1 exposed seronegative individuals (HESN) from Chinese Han population were enrolled in order to determine the influence of host genetic factors on HIV-1 infection. Seven polymorphisms on four known chemokines/chemokine receptor genes (CCR5Δ32, CCR5 m303, CCR5 59029A/G, CCR2 64I, RANTES -403A/G, RANTES -28C/G and SDF1 3'-A) were screened. CCR5Δ32 and CCR5 m303 were absent or infrequent in Chinese Han population, which may not be hosts' genetic protective factors for HIV-1 infection. Our results showed the CCR5 59029A/G, CCR2 64I and SDF1 3'-A were not associated with host's resistance to HIV-1 infection. The frequency of RANTES -403A allele was significantly lower in HIV-1 patients than in healthy blood donors (p=0.0005) and HESN group (p=0.035), which implied the association between A allele and reduced HIV-1 infection risk. Different genetic models were assessed to investigate this association (AA vs. GG+AG, OR=0.38 95% CI, 0.22-0.65 p=0.0004; A vs. G, OR=0.66 95% CI, 0.52-0.84 p=0.0006), which supported this association, either. The genotype and allele distribution of RANTES -28 between HIV-1 patients and healthy controls (genotype profile: p=0.072; allele profile: p=0.027) or HIV-1 seronegative group (genotype profile: p=0.036; allele profile: p=0.383) were both at the marginal level of significance, which were not observed after Bonferroni correction. All these results suggest the RANTES -403A may be associated with reduced susceptibility to HIV-1 infection, while the RANTES -28 locus not. By lack of the patients' clinical information, whether these polymorphisms affect AIDS disease progression and their role in different HIV-1 infection routes could not performed in present study and needs to be assessed in ongoing studies.