Background/Purpose The decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) super-family. It counteracts the biological effects of Fas ligands and inhibits apoptosis. The goals of this study were to understand the associations between serologic DcR3 (sDcR3) levels and different human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtypes, as well as the AIDS disease progression. Methods Serum samples from 61 HIV/AIDS patients, who had been followed up every 6 months for 3 years, were collected. sDcR3 levels were quantified using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Results The sDcR3 levels in patients with HIV-1 subtype B were significantly higher than those in patients infected with subtype CRF01_AE (p?<?0.001). In addition, multivariable linear mixed model analysis demonstrated that HIV-1 subtype B and slow disease progression were associated with higher levels of sDcR3, adjusting for potential predictors (p?=?0.0008 and 0.0455, respectively). Conclusion HIV-1-infected cells may gain a survival advantage by activating DcR3, which prevents infected cell detection by the host immune system. These data indicate that the sDcR3 level is a biomarker for AIDS disease progression.
Date:
2015-06
Relation:
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association. 2015 Jun;114(6):498-503.