Correlation of tumor suppressor P53 RNA expression with human immunodeficiency virus disease in rapid and slow progressors

Objective: To determine the relation between P53 tumor suppressor RNA expression and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression. Study Design/Methods: A quantitative assay of P53 RNA expression was used to analyze a cohort of HIV-negative persons. The assay was then used in longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of HIV slow and rapid progressors. Results: We demonstrate first that P53 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV-1-seronegative persons is minimal. Longitudinal studies in a small cohort of HIV-1-infected slow and rapid progressors reveal that rapid progressors seem to have greater P53 RNA expression over time. This was validated in a cohort of 26 HIV-1-infected persons in whom the expression of P53 RNA was significantly greater in persons with rapid progression of HIV-1 disease. Conclusion: These data suggest that P53 RNA expression may play a role in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 disease, though the mechanism of this interaction remains unknown.