Genetic variations in loci relevant to natural killer cell function are affected by ethnicity but are generally not correlated with susceptibility to HIV-1.

Polymorphisms in cell surface receptors of natural killer cells and their ligands on target cells can affect susceptibility to viral infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1. We found that the carriage of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G minus 14-bp polymorphism, LILRB1 single nucleotide polymorphism rs1061680, and activating and inhibitory killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) were different when data were compared between Caucasian, African Americans and Asian populations. However, carriage was similar when HIV-1 patients were compared with control donors, with the exception of the African American cohort.