Genetic variability at the TREX1 locus is not associated with natural resistance to HIV-1 infection

TREX1 (three prime repair exonuclease 1) degrades excess HIV-1 DNA thereby preventing recognition by innate immunity receptors and type I interferon responses. Analyses performed in two HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) cohorts did not show any differences in TREX1 sequence, SNPs frequency, or expression in HESN compared to controls, suggesting that - despite its central role in the HIV-1 infection process- genetic diversity at TREX1 is not a major determinant of susceptibility to infection in humans.