Objective To determine the genetic polymorphisms of DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR among HIV negative Chinese female sex workers. Methods The 69 bp tandem repeat numbers in exon 4 of the DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR were examined by PCR in 234 HIV-1-seronegative female commercial sex workers. Results It was found that 4 of 234 individuals were heterozygous in DC-SIGN. For DC-SIGNR, the allele frequencies were seven times repeated in 65.2%, 5 in 18.4%, and 9 in 11.9%. Those patterns of alleles frequencies were significantly different compared with those reported in the Caucasians residing in Europe. Conclusion Polymorphisms of DC-SIGN repeat region seem to be infrequent in Chinese female sex workers and those of DC-SIGNR are different from what reported in other races.

OBJECTIVETo explore the association of the polymorphism of homologue of dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3 (ICAM-3) grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN related, DC-SIGNR) gene with the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection.

METHODSThe distribution of the DC-SIGNR variants in the tandem repeat region and their association with HIV-1 infection in a cohort composed of 345 HIV-1 seropositive and 468 high-risk HIV-1 seronegative individuals was examined.

RESULTSThere are 14 genotypes and 5 alleles in the DC-SIGNR repeat regions in the cohort. Although the most common DC-SIGNR allele among Chinese Han population and the Caucasian population is 7, it was found in a higher frequency in the Chinese than in Caucasians (67.1% vs.46.0%, P<0.01). HIV-1 seropositive individuals had a lower frequency of the genotype 7/7 than the high-risk seronegative individuals (38.55% vs. 48.29%, P=0.0057), but a higher frequency of genotype 9/5 (4.35% vs. 1.07%, P=0.0029).

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that the tandem-repeat polymorphisms of the DC-SIGNR gene in the Chinese Han population exhibit unique genetic characteristics previously unrecognized in the Caucasian population. Genotype 9/5 seems to be a risk factor for HIV-1 infection in the Chinese population.

Adult ; Alleles ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; genetics ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; HIV Infections ; genetics ; transmission ; virology ; HIV-1 ; Humans ; Lectins, C-Type ; genetics ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Receptors, Cell Surface ; genetics