The association of RBBP6 variant 3 expressions with apoptosis in human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy (HIVAN)

South Africa has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. One of the complications of HIV infection is the development of HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), which is characterized by deregulation in tubular epithelial apoptosis. The pathways that HIV-1 promotes in the pathogenesis of HIVAN remain less understood. There are many genes that have not been characterized in the pathogenesis of HIVAN. On the other hand, RBBP6 has been shown to play a role in both promoting and inhibiting apoptosis in human cancers.This study was aimed at determining an association between RBBP6 isoform 3 expression and the levels of apoptosis in HIVAN cases. HIVAN biopsy tissues from Johannesburg patients in South Africa were used in this study. These tissues were stained for RBBP6 expression and apoptosis levels using immunohistochemistry staining and TUNEL method respectively. Image analysis was used for quantitative analysis and GraphPad Version 4 was used for statistical analysis.High expression levels of RBBP6 were found in HIVAN cases (n = 30) relative to the normal tissues (n = 10). High apoptosis levels were also obtained in the HIVAN tissues. This direct association between RBBP6 expression and apoptosis levels suggests that RBBP6 may play a role in HIVAN pathogenesis. RBBP6 may then be targeted for both diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in HIVAN.