Large Isoform of Mammalian Relative of DnaJ is a Major Determinant of Human Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection.
case_control · Level III
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 26137520.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1016/j.ebiom.2014.10.002 and PMC identifier 4457413.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Individual differences in susceptibility to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection have been of interest for decades. We aimed to determine the contribution of large isoform of Mammalian DnaJ (MRJ-L), a HIV-1 Vpr-interacting cellular protein, to this natural variation. Expression of MRJ-L in monocyte-derived macrophages was significantly higher in HIV-infected individuals (n = 31) than their uninfected counterparts (n = 27) (p = 0.009). Fifty male homosexual subjects (20 of them are HIV-1 positive) were further recruited to examine the association between MRJ-L levels and occurrence of HIV infection. Bayesian multiple logistic regression revealed that playing a receptive role and increased levels of MRJ-L in macrophages were two risk factors for HIV-1 infection. A 1% rise in MRJ-L expression was associated with a 1.13 fold (95% CrI 1.06-1.29) increase in odds of contracting HIV-1 infection. Ex vivo experiments revealed that MRJ-L facilitated Vpr-dependent nuclear localization of virus. Infection of macrophage-tropic strain is a critical step in HIV-1 transmission. MRJ-L is a critical factor in this process; hence, subjects with higher macrophage MRJ-L levels are more vulnerable to HIV-1 infection.