Elevated concentrations of milk β2-microglobulin are associated with increased risk of breastfeeding transmission of HIV-1 (Vertical Transmission Study)

J Proteome Res. 2013 Dec 6;12(12):5616-25. doi: 10.1021/pr400578h. Epub 2013 Nov 5.

Abstract

There is increasing evidence to support a relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) transmission through breastfeeding and milk host factors. We analyzed skim milk proteome to further determine the contribution of host factors to the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1. Quantitative mass spectrometry analysis was performed on nine case-control pairs of HIV+ transmitter/nontransmitter mothers, and specific biochemical assays on two selected proteins were assessed in an independent validation set of 127 samples. 33 identified proteins were differentially expressed between HIV+ transmitter and nontransmitter mothers. Among them, β2-microglobulin was significantly higher in the maternal transmitter than in the nontransmitter groups (p value = 0.0007), and S100A9 was significantly higher in the early maternal transmitter cases (before 4 months of age) compared with the nontransmitters (p value = 0.004). β2-Microglobulin correlated with milk and plasma HIV viral load and CD4+ cell count, whereas S100A9 correlated with the estimated timing of infection of the infant through breastfeeding. Finally, β2-microglobulin concentration in milk could accurately predict the risk of HIV-1 postnatal transmission by breastfeeding (p value < 0.0001, log-rank test). In conclusion, milk β2-microglobulin and S100A9 are host factors that are found to be associated with mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Breast Feeding
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count
  • Calgranulin B / genetics*
  • Calgranulin B / isolation & purification
  • Calgranulin B / metabolism
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • HIV Infections / genetics
  • HIV Infections / transmission*
  • HIV Infections / virology
  • HIV-1 / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical*
  • Milk, Human / chemistry
  • Milk, Human / virology*
  • Molecular Sequence Annotation
  • Proteome / genetics
  • Proteome / metabolism
  • RNA, Viral / biosynthesis*
  • South Africa
  • Viral Load
  • beta 2-Microglobulin / genetics*
  • beta 2-Microglobulin / isolation & purification
  • beta 2-Microglobulin / metabolism

Substances

  • Calgranulin B
  • Proteome
  • RNA, Viral
  • beta 2-Microglobulin