The
IL10 gene has been implicated in HIV-1 infection and pathogenesis in numerous studies
[1],
[2],
[3],
[4]. IL-10 is a cytokine produced mainly by T
H2 cells and occasionally by activated B-cells, T
H1 cells, activated macrophages, and nonhematopoietic cells (e.g., keratinocytes)
[5],
[6]. It has a uniquely broad immunomodulatory effect, especially in suppressing cell-mediated immunity through down-regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, co-stimulatory molecules, as well as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II proteins. Animal models suggest that IL-10 plays a significant role in viral persistence
[7] in general and has specific effects on HIV-1 infection through T-cell activity
[8],
[9]. IL-10-positive CD8
+ T cells have a regulatory role in the immune dysfunction of HIV-1 infection
[10]. IL-10 levels are greater in HIV-1-positive individuals with declining CD4
+ T-cell and high HIV-1 viral loads than in newly infected individuals
[11]. In contrast, long-term non-progressors have low IL-10 levels comparable to HIV-1-negative individuals. The HIV-1 regulatory protein, Tat, has also been shown to induce IL-10 production
[12]. Higher concentrations of IL-10 appear to limit HIV-1 replication
in vivo by inhibiting macrophages/monocytes and T-cell lymphocyte replication
[13],
[14],
[15],
[16], and administration of IL-10 to HIV-1-positive patients has also been shown to decrease the number of circulating HIV-1 virions
[17]. IL-10 inhibition of T-cell apoptosis could actually be beneficial for HIV-1-infected individuals
[18]. IL-10 may also selectively up-regulate the expression of the CC chemokine receptors CCR5, CCR2 and CCR1 in human monocytes
[19],
[20],
[21]; these control entry of the virus into the cell. Further, several studies indicate that IL-10 production is induced
in vivo [22] and
in vitro [23] during HIV-1 infection.
The association between SNPs in
IL10 and HIV-1 pathogenesis or infection has received considerable attention, but the importance of genotypic variation remains unclear. In a multi-cohort analysis
[24], European Americans carrying the A allele at the
−592 position
(rs1800872) of
IL10 promoter were at increased risk for HIV-1 infection (OR

=

1.75, p

=

0.03). Investigators in that same study suggested that 25–30% of untreated, long-term non-progressors (>10 years without AIDS) among European Americans could be explained by the presence of the wild-type rs1800872 C/C genotype. Additional
IL10 variants have also been associated with disease progression to AIDS
[2],
[24],
[25], often with inconsistent conclusions.
Selective adaptation of polymorphisms within
IL10 in different populations has resulted in semi-conserved regions and generated these adjacent paralogs that may have entirely or only partially redundant or antagonistic functional properties.
IL19,
IL20, and
IL24 are located upstream of the
IL10 gene within the cytokine gene cluster in a 200 kb region on chromosome 1q31
–32 (
Figure S1). The four genes have similar intron–exon structures and they form a subfamily based on similar protein sequences, cellular sources (i.e., activated immune cells, including monocytes), and receptors on target cells. Several functional and biological interactions are known between these paralogs. For example, IL-19 stimulation can increase its own expression
and IL10 mRNA transcription, while IL-10 potently down-regulates the ‘autoinduction’ of IL-19
[26],
[27]. Upregulation of IL-19 and IL-20 has been found following
in vitro stimulation of mammary and amniotic epithelial cells with extracellular HIV-1 Tat
[28]. Similarly, IL-10 utilizes the
JAK-STAT pathway for downstream signaling, and the paralogs IL-19
and IL-20 have capacity to induce phosphorylation of STAT1 or STAT3 or both
[29]. Overall, immune regulation mediated by the
IL10 gene family can influence HIV-1 pathogenesis through multiple mechanisms. Genotypes of
IL10 and the evolutionarily conserved regulatory regions encoded by the related gene sequences could become useful biomarkers if their relationships to HIV-1 infection and disease progression with our without treatment are unambiguously established. Here, we hypothesize that involvement of the IL-10 molecule in HIV-1 infection and pathogenesis could be modulated through complex interactions among
IL10 and its related genes, especially those (
IL19,
IL20 and
IL24) in the flanking genomic region and the IL-10 receptor genes (
IL10RA and
IL10RB).