Impact of haptoglobin gene variation on HIV resistance and the rate of disease progression in the South African black population

Abstract

Genetic variation in haptoglobin, a plasma protein, has been reported to be associated with susceptibility to and the rate of HIV/AIDS progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of haptoglobin polymorphism on HIV/AIDS in black South Africans. Polymorphism in the coding region of the haptoglobin gene was detected by direct DNA and allele-specific amplification. Polymorphism in the coding region of the gene was detected by amplification of DNA and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of plasma protein. A statistically significant association was observed between allele -61C and resistance to HIV infection. The Hp0 phenotype, in which no haptoglobin protein is detected, was associated with HIV status and some promoter genotypes. Since in our study population there were a few samples with usable clinical data , further investigations need to be done to confirm the association of the -61C allele and the Hp0 phenotype with the risk of HIV infection.