Frequency of CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3'A Mutations in People with HIV Diagnoses and HIV Negative Participant in Khuzestan Province, Iran.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) binds to CD4 receptors. Chemokine receptors such as C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5), C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2), and stromal-derived factor (SDF1) are involved in HIV cell entry, and mutations in the genes encoding these chemokine receptors and their ligands may play a role against HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) progression. This study aims to investigate the frequency of the above polymorphisms within the Iranian population, evaluating their contribution to a protective genetic background against HIV acquisition and progression. Two hundred eighty-five healthy individuals and 100 people with HIV were selected. CCR5 genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CCR2 and SDF-1 polymorphism were analyzed by tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain (Tetra-ARMS-PCR). No CCR5-Δ32 mutants were found in either group. The screening for the CCR2 polymorphism yielded 44 (44%) and 127 (44.6%) heterozygous genotypes in the people with HIV and healthy individuals. Homozygous mutants were seen in 1 (1%) and 28 (9.8%) of the people living with HIV and healthy individuals, respectively, revealing a CCR2-64I allele frequency of 29.7%. CCR2-64I is associated with HIV resistance and reduced AIDS progression (p-value = .018). Among our 385 analyzed samples, 2 (2%) and 12 (4.2%) were found to be SDF1 heterozygous in persons with HIV and healthy individuals, respectively. Three (3%) of the people with HIV and 25 (8.8%) of the healthy individuals carried homozygous mutant variants. The allele frequency of the above polymorphism reached 9.1%, but no statistically significant association was observed, albeit it is borderline (p-value = .062). There are different distributions between people with HIV and healthy individuals, suggesting that CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A may have a protective effect on HIV and that CCR2-64I (genotype I/I) has an effect on protecting against HIV and delaying progression from HIV status to AIDS. It could be used for prognostic genotyping in people with HIV.