Patterns of ethnic diversity among the genes that influence AIDS

Although HIV-1/AIDS emerged late in the last century, more than 42 million individuals have been infected and 25 million have died worldwide, making AIDS, like malaria, a strong selective force for disease-associated genetic factors. Many of the genes that mediate immune response or that are co-opted by HIV-1 for completion of its lifecycle show differences in allele frequencies, as a result of drift, migration or selection. Here we show that the majority of AIDS candidate genes and AIDS restriction genes show significant differences in allele frequencies, possibly the result of historic selective pressures. These genes are undergoing present day natural selection in populations with high AIDS prevalence.