APOBEC3B Deletion and Risk of HIV-1 Acquisition

The human APOBEC3 family of cytidine deaminases provides intrinsic immunity to retroviral infection. A naturally occurring 29.5-kb deletion removes the entire APOBEC3B gene. We examined the impact of the APOBEC3B gene deletion in >4000 individuals from 5 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) natural history cohorts. The hemizygous genotype had no effect on either acquisition of HIV-1 infection or progression to AIDS. However, the homozygous deletion was significantly associated with unfavorable outcomes for HIV-1 acquisition (odds ratio, 7.37; P = .024), progression to AIDS (relative hazard, 4.01; P = .03) and viral set point (P = .04). These findings suggest that the loss of APOPBEC3B may increase host susceptibility to HIV-1 acquisition and progression to AIDS and warrant further study.