information in hand, they asked the question, do long-term nonprogressors with one copy of the mutant CCR5 gene have less virus in their bodies and higher CD4+ T cell counts compared with long-term nonprogressors with two normal copies of the CCR5 gene -- a situation that would help explain the association of the CCR5 mutation and long-term nonprogression?

The answer, Dr. Cohen says, "was a resounding no." The investigators found that nonprogressors with one copy of the mutant CCR5 gene were indistinguishable from nonprogressors with two normal copies of the gene with regard to all immunologic and virologic parameters they measured, including CD4+ T cell counts and viral load in the bloodstream and lymph nodes.

"Although an HIV-infected individual who carries one copy of the mutant CCR5 gene has an increased chance of becoming a long-term nonprogressor, other factors in the complex interaction between HIV and the body allow individuals with normal copies of the gene to maintain similar immunologic status."

What explains the epidemiological data that show many people with the CCR5 gene mutation in cohorts of long-term nonprogressors?

"Around the time of initial infection with HIV, people with the specific mutation in the CCR5 gene have lower levels of virus in their blood and a smaller
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Contact: Greg Folkers
gfolkers@nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
15-Sep-1997

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