Pelak et al. used genome-wide SNP arrays on >2,000 HIV-1-infected patients to identify copy number variants (CNVs) associated with HIV infection control. Increased copy number of genes encoding two immunoglobulin-like receptors, KIR3DL1 and KIR3DS1, correlated with a lower viral load, although this effect was dependent on epistatic interactions between these receptor genes and those of their HLA ligands. This reinforces a model — for which the authors obtained functional evidence — whereby these receptors, which are present on natural killer cells, influence the immune response to HIV-1-infected cells.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Pelak, K. et al. Copy number variation of KIR genes influences HIV-1 control. PLoS Biol. 9, e1001208 (2011) Article
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Burgess, D. Copy number variants and HIV infection control. Nat Rev Genet 13, 3 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3150
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3150
