Toll Like Receptor 2 promoter -196 to -174 deletion affects CD4 levels along HIV infection progression

Abstract

TLR2 plays a key role in innate immune response recognizing molecular patterns expressed by pathogens. rs111200466 is a TLR2 promoter Insertion/Deletion polymorphism with contradictory data about its role in HIV-1 infection. We analyzed rs111200466 in HIV-1 disease progression and showed a correlation with a faster progression to the CD4+<200cells/μL outcome for Deletion allele carriers (Cox regression analysis: Hazard Ratio=2.4; 95%CI:1.4-4, P=0.001). When naïve patients with CD4+<200cells/μL start antiretroviral treatment, rs111200466-Deletion carriers showed a trend towards a slower, recovery rate (time required to reach CD4+>350cells/μL, Cox P=0.36). Our data suggests rs111200466 as a prognosis factor for HIV-1 disease progression.

This work was supported by grant SAF2016-80125-R (Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spain) to AC., grant PI-0001-2017 (Consejería de salud, Spain) to L.M. Real and by grant SAS111229 supported by the Junta de Andalucía to M.J. Bravo.