Genetic studies on the association of the killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes with HIV-1 infection and disease progression have been widely carried out with somewhat contradictory results.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of KIR genes on the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in the Polish population depending on the route of exposure.
Epidemiological studies have shown the protective effect of KIR3DL1/HLA-Bw4 genotypes in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection; however, the functional correlates for the protective effect remain unknown.
Here we demonstrate that NK cells expressing the activating receptor KIR3DS1(+) and, to a lesser extent, the inhibitory receptor KIR3DL1(+) specifically expand in acute HIV-1 infection in the presence of HLA-B Bw480I, the putative HLA class I ligand for KIR3DL1/3DS1.