HIV and human leukocyte antigen association--the Indian scenario

Genetic factors such as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) affect the infection and progression of HIV disease. The dependence of effective cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity on HIV-specific T-helper responses has become increasingly evident and studies provide strong evidence that T-helper responses and the magnitude of CTL responses are closely linked. HLA haplotype A11-B35-Cw4 has been associated with rapid progression of AIDS. Our earlier studies had shown that HLA B*3520, B*1801 and Cw*1507 alleles were associated in western Indian HIV-1-infected AIDS patients. Further, it was observed that A*110101-B*3520-Cw*1507 haplotype was significantly increased among the AIDS patients. I compiled the frequency of these alleles and their molecular subtype distribution from 4333 individuals from India. The results showed that these high-risk alleles and their subtypes were significantly increased among selected castes or population groups (breeding isolates living in the plains) but lower in tribal groups (breeding isolates living in the hills), which revealed a high genetic diversity among Indians. My analysis shows that the genetic susceptibility and HLA allelic immune response among the HIV-infected AIDS individuals in India are different.