CCR2-64I allele is associated with the progression of AIDS in a Han Chinese population

It has been reported that the CCR5-Delta32, CCR2-64I and SDF1-3′A polymorphisms have protective effects against HIV-1 infection and can delay the progression of AIDS in European populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of the three loci with HIV-1 infection and the progression of AIDS in the Han population of northern China. We recruited 78 HIV-1-seropositive individuals and 70 population-matched healthy controls from north China. PCR-RFLP was used to genotype these three polymorphisms in all samples. There were no significant differences in the frequencies of any allele between HIV-1-seropositive individuals and healthy controls. In cases, the associations between the three loci and CD4⁺ T-lymphocyte counts were not significant; however, there was a significant association between the genotype frequency of CCR2-64I and clinical category (P < 0.05). We have identified a potentially important role of CCR2-64I allele in AIDS progression in the northern Chinese population. Further studies are necessary to clarify the contribution of the CCR2-64I allele to the progression of AIDS for the relatively small sample size.