Role of HLA-B Leader Peptides and HLA-E Genetic Variants in HIV Infection

Öğret Y., Çınar Ç., Çağatay A. A., Şentürk Çiftçi H., Özdilli K., Savran Oğuz F.

EXPERIMED, cilt.16, sa.2, ss.114-119, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.26650/experimed.1887002
  • Dergi Adı: EXPERIMED
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.114-119
  • İstanbul Medipol Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Objective: This study assessed whether human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B signal peptide dimorphism at position −21

(HLA-B-21) Methionine/Threonine (M/T) and HLA-E polymorphisms are associated with the level of viremia in human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals from the Turkish population.

Materials and Methods: The study cohort comprised 130 HIV–positive patients and 102 healthy controls. HLA typing was

achieved through a next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based approach, and HLA-E alleles were determined by Sanger

sequencing. HIV-1 level of viremia was measured using the COBAS Ampliprep/TaqMan system. Statistical evaluation

included chi-square analysis, nonparametric techniques, and logistic regression modeling.

Results: HLA-E*01:01 and the homozygous E*01:01 genotype were observed significantly more frequently in HIV–positive

patients than in controls. No significant relationship was found between HLA-E alleles and viral load. The HLA-B*51:01

allele was significantly more frequent in patients with a higher viral load, whereas HLA-B*44:02 showed a similar trend

without reaching statistical significance. In addition, the HLA-B-21 T/T genotype was significantly associated with higher

viral load levels.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the HLA-B-21 signal peptide polymorphism may play a role in modulating HIV replication,

whereas HLA-E polymorphisms alone appear to have a limited impact. This study provides novel immunogenetic

data from the Turkish population and highlights the potential of HLA-B-21 polymorphism as a genetic marker influencing

HIV disease progression.