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Mutation that protects against HIV raises death rate
Why is it in news?
- According to a recent study, People with a DNA mutation that reduces their chance of HIV infection may die sooner.
- It suggests that tinkering with a gene to try to fix one problem may cause others.
More in news
- Case study: The study authors cited the case of the Chinese researcher who tried to produce this mutation in twin girls before their birth, to reduce their risk for HIV.
- Heightens risk:(1) The gene is called CCR5.(2) When it is working normally, it lets certain cells of the immune system display a protein on their surfaces.(3) HIV has co-opted that protein to use as a doorway to infect those cells.(4) The mutation prevents that protein from appearing, and so reduces the risk of HIV infection.
- Findings: The study found that participants with the mutation in both copies had a death rate about 20% higher than that of the others.
Source
The Hindu