Recent studies have discovered an association between some mitochondrial DNA haplogroups (a group of closely linked alleles that are transmitted together) and the rapid development of AIDS. Through analysis of the time of which it took for the disease to develop into AIDS in correlation with each patients genetic information, these findings were in favour of pre-existising theories surrounding the notion that mitochondria are implicated in the progession of HIV and AIDS.
Dr Stephen O’Brien lead a team from the National Institute of Cancer in Maryland, USA who analysed the findings of five long term studies performed in the 80’s and early 90’s which tracked 1833 people with HIV. Since this period was prior to the common use of antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to treat patients, the team could accurately monitor the advancement of the disease without intervention. “Mitochondrial function plays a role in both AIDS progression and HAART toxicity; therefore, we sought to determine whether mitochondrial DNA variation revealed novel AIDS restriction genes, particularly as mitochondrial DNA single-nucleotide polymorphisms are known to influence regulation of oxidative phosphorylation (a part of the respiration process),” says Sher Hendrickson of the National Cancer Institute.
It was found that patients that exhibited sets variations in the haplogroups, namingly U5a1 and J, were developing AIDS at twice the average rate of the rest of the population being studied. On the contrary, those possessing the haplogroup H3 developed the disease at a rate that was twice as slow as the studied population.
Screening mitchondrial DNA is giving doctors more insight into more appropriate times to begin HIV therapy as well as the selection of drugs to treat patients. “Mitochondrial DNA types may suggest which patients are more susceptible and should start HAART earlier than currently recommended,” says Andrew Lever, who studies HIV at the University of Cambridge.
“Mitochondrial DNA tests could one day give an accurate prognosis for people with HIV, although further work on other genetic and environmental influence factors would be necessary first,” says Hendrickson.
1. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026864.800-human-dna-may-set-off-aids-timebomb.html
Author: David Hobson, accessed: 12/03/09
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19005266
Authors: Hendrickson SL, Hutcheson HB, Ruiz-Pesini E, Poole JC, Lautenberger J, Sezgin E, Kingsley L, Goedert JJ, Vlahov D, Donfield S, Wallace DC, O'Brien SJ, accessed: 14/03/09
Picture taken from: http://chemistry.umeche.maine.edu/CHY431/MitoDNA.jpg
