What causes CCR5 delta 32 mutation?
Geneticists say that the CCR5 delta 32 mutation existed as many as 2,500 years ago, but back then it likely occurred in only 1 in 20,000 Europeans, as compared to 1 in 10 today. They believe that some viral disease provided the selection pressure needed to increase the frequency of the mutation.
Can you test for CCR5?
Yes. There is a genetic test that would allow for the detection of such mutation of the CCR5. The test involves taking som blood and sending it to the lab to do the genetic test.
What is autosomal CCR5?
CCR5 is a gene on chromosome 3. Our CCR5 test is for a 32 base deletion (delta 32) that has been speculatively linked to survival during the Black Death and the Small Pox Plagues (Galvani 2003) that decimated the population of Europe during the Middle Ages.
Which is the mutant form of CCR5 delta32?
One of the mutant forms of the gene is CCR5-delta32, which results from deletion of a particular sequence of 32 base-pairs. This mutant form of the gene results in a receptor so damaged that it no longer functions.
What kind of liver disease does CCR5 delta32 cause?
The CCR5-delta32 mutation is strongly associated with a chronic and potentially life-threatening liver disease: Eri, R, et al ., CCR5-Delta 32 mutation is strongly associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis, Genes And Immunity 5 (6):444–450, September 2004, http://www.nature.com/gene/journal/v5/n6/full/6364113a.html.
Which is a beneficial mutation of the CCR5 gene?
CCR5-delta32: a very beneficial mutation. Various mutations of the CCR5 gene are known that result in damage to the expressed receptor. One of the mutant forms of the gene is CCR5-delta32, which results from deletion of a particular sequence of 32 base-pairs. This mutant form of the gene results in a receptor so damaged that it no longer functions.
When was the discovery of the delta 32 mutation?
Scientists studying HIV first learned about the gateway-blocking capacity of the CCR5 mutation in 1996. Several drug companies, then, quickly began exploring the possibility of developing pharmaceuticals that would mimic delta 32 by binding to CCR5 and blocking the attachment of HIV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74w2N51tSOg
