CCL3L1 gene copy number in individuals with and without HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder

ene copy number in individuals with and without HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder Short Report (2438) Total Article Views Authors: Brown A, Sacktor N, Marder K, Cohen B, Schifitto G, Skolasky RL, Creighton J, Guo L, McArthur JC Published Date January 2012 Volume 2012:2 Pages 1 - 6 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/CBF.S27685 Received: 27 October 2011 Accepted: 30 November 2011 Published: 09 January 2012 Amanda Brown1, Ned Sacktor1, Karen Marder2, Bruce Cohen3, Giovanni Schifitto4, Richard L Skolasky1, Jason Creighton1, Liping Guo1, Justin C McArthur1 1Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 2Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, Sergievsky Center and Taub Institute on Alzheimers Disease and the Aging Brain, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 3Department of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 4Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA Background: CCL3L1 copy number variation has been implicated as a marker for susceptibility and immunity to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection and its pathogenic sequelae. Some of these findings have been confirmed in several, but not all, subsequent independent cohort studies. A three-fold risk for the development of HIV-associated dementia was reported in individuals possessing a CCL3L1 copy number below the ethnic group median combined with a detrimental CCR5 genotype. With the availability of antiretroviral therapy since 1996, there has been a significant decline in HIV-associated dementia, and milder forms of HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (HAND) are now most prevalent. Moreover, patients are living longer with HIV-1 infection and it is recognized that aging may be a contributory factor to the development of cognitive disorder. Thus, the need for biomarkers that can be used in clinical practice to identify and provide optimal treatment for those at increased risk for HAND is great. HAND affects 20%–30% of HIV-infected individuals, and several genetic loci which have been shown to confer susceptibility to HIV infection may also modulate the development of neurocognitive disorder. The aim of this study was to determine whether CCL3L1 chemokine gene copy number in self-defined ethnic groups could differentiate HIV-infected individuals with and without HAND. Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from buccal swabs or peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from HIV-infected patients with or without a diagnoses of neurocognitive dysfunction in the Northeast AIDS Dementia Cohort and National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium. To maintain a uniform standard, a quantitative polymerase chain reaction design similar to previous studies using Taqman probes and fixed input DNA between 2 ng and 10 ng was used to determine a CCL3L1 copy number. Standard curves with two-fold dilutions from 25 ng to 1.