'Ghost' alleles of the Mauritius kestrel

Article Abstract:

Ancestral variation was very high in the Mauritius kestrel population and was comparable with continental kestrel species. This indicates that the unanticipated resilience of the population, which consisted of a single wild breeding pair in 1974 and has now recovered to more than 200 pairs, could not have been the result of either benefits contributed by an unknown remnant population or reduction of the inbreeding genetic load by a history of small population size. The resilience of the kestrel population may be because its productivity was only affected in a limited manner by the bottleneck in 1974. Comparison with other tropical falcons indicates that there has been some reduction in the fitness of the Mauritius kestrel.

Genetic aspects, Mauritius, Natural history, Kestrels

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Resistance to HIV-1 infection in caucasian individuals bearing mutant alleles of the CCR-5 chemokine receptor gene

Article Abstract:

A mutant allele of the CC-chemokine receptor-5, which is common in caucasians is involved in resistance to HIV-1 infection. None of the HIV-1 infected caucasians in a cohort are homozygous for the mutation, while the frequency of heterozygotes is 35% less than that in normal populations. The white blood cells in homozygous individuals with null alleles are highly resistant to the HIV-1 virus, while the lower frequency of heterozygotes implied partial resistance in seropositive Caucasians. The mutation prevents HIV infection by inhibiting membrane fusion.

Health aspects, Causes of, Physiological aspects, Gene mutations, Gene mutation, HIV infection, HIV infections, Caucasian race, Whites, Natural immunity

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Chemokine control of HIV-1 infection

Article Abstract:

Chemokines attract and active certain types of leukocyte, and the two main chemokine families are the CC and the CXC chemokines. It is shown that heterodimerization can occur in the chemokine response between a mutant form of the CCR2 receptor, which delays the development of AIDS in HIV-1 infected individuals, and the CCR5 or CXCR4 chemokine receptor, used by HIV for cell entry.

Research, Cytokines

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