Search

OBJECTIVE--Genetic and environmental factors modulate the susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy, as initiating and/or progression factors. The objective of the European Rational Approach for the Genetics of Diabetic Complications (EURAGEDIC) study [...]

Byline: Steven McGinn Companies in the news Apache Corp. has completed the sale of its interests in the Chevron-operated Wheatstone LNG project, and accompanying upstream oil and gas reserves, to [...]

Byline: Steven McGinn Alexander Palynchuk: A lifetime of innovation Insufficient reservoir pressure is the genesis of artificial lift technology, and without such mechanisms to bring hydrocarbons to the surface, the [...]

Byline: Steven McGinn People in the industry OMV Aktiengesellschaft has appointed Rainer Seele as CEO and chairman of the executive board. Seele will take over the position, on July 1, [...]

Byline: Steven McGinn Now in its 47th, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) will be held at NRG Park (formerly Reliant Park) in Houston, Texas, on May 4-7, 2015. Building on [...]

Byline: Pramod Kulkarni,Kurt Abraham,Roger Jordan,Steven McGinn An oversupplied market spells a difficult year ahead for operators, although less so for activity outside North America. After spending several years on a [...]

Byline: Steven McGinn New products and services Solution fuels drilling rigs, production operations from field gas TRF Energy Solutions has created a process to use field gas for fuel, a [...]

Byline: Steven McGinn Horizontal wells: A standard for today Vol. 235Â No. 12INNOVATIVE THINKERS STEVEN McGINN, NEWS EDITOR Horizontal wells A standard for today Schematic of Rospo Mare field, courtesy [...]

Volatility reigned for crude oil pricing during the financial crisis. So what factors led to it and could it happen again? PUTTING THE pieces together in the aftermath of the [...]

Interleukin 7 (IL7) is a critical factor for lymphocyte homeostasis. A dysfunction of the IL7/IL7R pathway has previously been described in HIV-1 infection, and promising results were observed in recent analyses of IL7 for therapeutic use in HIV infected individuals. However, further investigations are still warranted to understand the possible roles of this cytokine. Here, we explored whether the IL7 and IL7RA genetic polymorphisms were associated with the progression of HIV infection. We extensively genotyped the IL7 and IL7RA genes in the GRIV (Genomics of Resistance to Immunodeficiency Virus) cohort, composed of patients with extreme progression profiles - long-term non (LTNP) and rapid (RP) progressors -, and in a healthy control group (CTR). Statistical case-control analyses were performed using the Fishers exact test, comparing either LTNP vs CTR or RP vs CTR. Three IL7RA SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms - rs7701176, rs987106 and rs10491434), but no IL7 SNPs, were significantly associated with rapid disease progression (Pμ0.01). In a multi-marker analysis focusing on functional variants, a strong association between an IL7RA haplotype and rapid progression was observed (P5.59x10-3). In summary, our comprehensive genetic study revealed three SNPs and a risk of haplotype associated with rapid progression to AIDS in the IL7RA gene. Interestingly, the haplotype is composed of SNPs previously identified in other inflammatory diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis) by GWAS and by functional studies. Our results contribute to the growing understanding of the role of IL7/IL7R in HIV disease progression, and more widely, in CD4 T cell homeostasis.