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Background: The CCR5 is a chemokine receptor that serves as a co-receptor for HIV-1 attachment and entry to T lymphocytes. A 32bp deletion (Δ32) in this gene is believed to be associated with resistance to infection and delay disease progression. The aim of this study was to determine the Δ32 allele frequency in healthy individuals and HIV-infected individuals with AIDS. Methods: In this experiment, 530 normal individuals from healthy Iranian population and 40 HIV-infected samples from Western Clinic of Tehran were examined for Δ32 in CCR5 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results: Allele frequencies of the CCR5Δ32 in normal individuals were calculated to be 1.1% for heterozygous genotype and 0.19% for homozygous genotype. None of the co-receptor gene in HIV cases was found to be mutated in this study. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study and the literature in Iran, we could conclude that Iranian people similar to neighbor countries such as Arabs are susceptible to HIV virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main property of a successful conjugation of antibodies to nanoparticles is keeping the potency of antibody for binding the antigen, and an oriented conjugation can do that. Under such ground, this study was carried out to explore the efficiency of two conjugation methods in binding iron nanoparticles to an antibody produced against PSCA (prostate stem cell antigen) using in vitro labeling of PC3 cells. Methods: In this experimental study, we conjugated dextran-superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (dexSPIONs) to anti-PSCA antibody by two different methods, including targeting carbohydrate moieties in FC domain and the free amine group of amino acid side chains. Ultimately, Iron staining was done by anti-PSCA antibody-dexSPIONs in PC3 cells to detect antibody binding to the cells. Results: A strong blue dye was induced by iron staining in conjugated dexSPIONs on the membrane of PC3 cells by the former method than the second one. Moreover, cells treated with 20 nm diameters of dexSPIONs showed higher resolution of blue color than those treated with 100 nm nanoparticles. Conclusion: This oriented conjugation method promoted the efficiency of targeting tumor antigens, and the presence of iron particles might enhance MRI image intensity in vivo by targeting PSCA-overexpressing cells in future studies.