Statistical analyses were performed using 2-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests and unpaired 2-tailed t-tests using GraphPad Prism 5 (GraphPad Software, Inc., La Jolla, CA). P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Figure S1 Dose dependent expression of h1567 anti-CCR4 minibody. Nude mice (4 mice per group) were treated one time by tail vein injection with AAV8-h1567 viral vectors at the two concentrations shows. PBS buffer treated mice served as controls. Mice were bled at the indicated time points over 15 weeks and their h1567 scFv-Fc levels were determined by ELISA on anti-human Ig capture and detection. (TIF) The VNTR Polymorphism of the DC-SIGNR Gene and Susceptibility to HIV-1 Infection: A Meta-Analysis BACKGROUND: Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin related (DC-SIGNR) can bind to the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) gp120 envelope glycoprotein and is thus important for the host-pathogen interaction in HIV-1 infection. Studies of the association between the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism of the DC-SIGNR gene and HIV-1 susceptibility have produced controversial results. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a meta-analysis of the data contained in the literature to clarify these findings. In total, 10 studies consisting of 2683 HIV-1 patients and 3263 controls (2130 healthy controls and 1133 HIV-1 exposed but seronegative (HESN) controls) were included. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were assessed in the main analyses. Further stratified analyses by ethnicity and sample size were performed. By dividing the controls into two groups, healthy controls and HIV-1 exposed but seronegative (HESN) controls, we explored different genetic models to detect any association between the VNTR polymorphism and predisposition to HIV-1 infection. The results showed that the 5-repeat allele carriers (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.73–0.96) and the 5/5 homozygous (OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.50–0.93) had significantly reduced risk when using the HIV-1 exposed but seronegative (HESN) as controls. The stratified analyses by ethnicity and sample size confirmed these findings. However, a low to moderate degree of heterogeneity was also found across studies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that the VNTR polymorphism of the DC-SIGNR gene is associated with a moderate effect on host susceptibility to HIV-1 infection. Similar to the 32-bp deletion in the chemokine receptor-5 gene (CCR5Δ32), the DC-SIGNR VNTR 5-repeat allele might have a role in resistance to HIV infection, particularly in Asian populations. The incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has increased over the past few decades. Up to now, nearly 34 million people suffered from human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection, and an estimated 2.7 million people were newly infected with the virus in 2010 (http://www.who.int/features/ factfiles/hiv/facts/en/index3.html). However, the natural course of HIV-1 infection and the susceptibility to infection after exposure are highly heterogeneous among individuals [1, 2] . Despite of high-risk behavior and/or multiple exposures to HIV-1, some individuals remained seronegative, or uninfected. These individuals may have a different course of progression to AIDS and may have different clinical outcomes. It is a common observation that some infected individuals became symptomatic within 2-3 years while others remained asymptomatic for more than 10-15 years [3] . Last year, NIH published a conference report about definition of HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) individuals. It is now a consensus to define HESN from several group of individuals who are at high risk of exposure which include : (1) the commercial sex workers, (2) people with hemophilia, (3) discordant couples, (4) intravenous drug users, and (5) mother-to-child transmission [4] .