Understanding HIV:
CCR5 and fusin—co-receptors for HIV
January 2003 View PDF En
español
Commentary on co-receptors
The take home message from discussions of the newly identified
co-receptors is that there is a long road ahead before the picture
is complete. Undoubtedly new co-receptors will be identified, and
already a third receptor, CCR2 has been discovered. Based on these
discoveries, therapies that interfere with the virus’ ability
to infect cells are already being explored. Some of these therapies,
like GM-CSF, could be tested in human studies very quickly.
These discoveries are still very new, however, and everyone should
be cautious not to over interpret their meaning. Viatical Settlement
companies have offered free screening for a CCR5 deletion and some
people, who have had potential exposures to HIV yet remain uninfected,
are making assumptions that they have natural immunity when perhaps
they simply had good luck. To date, the real world implications
of these findings are that some people with HIV who have an inherited
CCR5 deletion from one parent may be at less risk for disease progression,
but clearly less risk doesn’t mean no risk.
Certainly there are people with an inherited deletion who have
progressed to AIDS and died. CCR5 deletion or not, monitoring health,
making wise treatment choices and keeping the virus in check is
critical to managing HIV disease. Moreover, CCR5 deletion or not,
the factors in long-term non-progression are numerous. There are
hundreds of people who have been categorized as long-term non-progressors
who have fully intact CCR5 genes.
Finally, no one should assume that they have immunity to HIV infection.
Even if someone has inherited the CCR5 deletion from both parents,
findings at this conference demonstrate that HIV infection in the
face of these deletions may favor a much more aggressive type of
HIV, leading to a more rapid course of disease progression.
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