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GENE TO PROTECT AGAINST HIV INFECTION ?Some people carry an altered gene that protects them from being infected by HIV. Themutated gene also may be linked to the goodhealth of long-term non-progressors, one of thestudies showed. As many as one in 100 peoplemay have the genetic alteration that prevents thevirus from infecting cells, said Nathaniel Landau,PhD, of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center.A person needs to be homozygous for the altered gene to be well protected against invasion by HIV in this way. (Cell,1996;86:367-377) In thesecond study, which appeared in Nature(1996;384) some long-term non-progressors were heterozygous for the gene. The New Yorkresearchers studied 25 people who had never been infected with HIV despite being exposedsexually to the virus numerous times. The altered gene iscalled CKR-5. The study also found that cells taken froman altered CKR-5 homozygous person could not beinfected with HIV in laboratory experiments. Theother 22 people none of whom have a copy ofaltered CKR5 -have been protected against thevirus, despite repeated exposures. They could beresistant through another mechanism. Having twomutated CKR-5 genes may not be enough toprotect people from getting infected with HIV. Paris, France, June 1999 --> return to menu / back ... (click) --> return to top of the page (click) |
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