Elucidating mechanisms of mitochondrial genetics on diabetes risk in persons of African ancestry with HIV

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is common in persons with HIV particularly among persons of African ancestry. Because of the importance of mitochondria in cellular bioenergetics, and the effects on mitochondria from both HIV infection and its treatment, our group has investigated the role of patterns of linked common mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants, called haplogroups, in the development of T2D in persons with HIV. We have now replicated significant associations between the common African mtDNA haplogroup L3 (~30-40% of U.S. Non-Hispanic Black persons) and incident T2D in two different cohorts, showing that persons with HIV of African ancestry in haplogroup L3 have an approximately 50-60% increased incidence of T2D compared to those with other haplogroups. Significant associations were not found in persons without HIV, indicating that an interaction between the mitochondrial genetics and HIV is important to T2D development.