title: Human immunodeficiency virus tat gene transfer to the murine central nervous system using a replication-defective herpes simplex virus vector stimulates transforming growth factor beta 1 gene expression.
abstract: The high incidence of neurological disorders in patients afflicted with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) may result from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) induction of chemotactic signals and cytokines within the brain by virus-encoded gene products. Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) is an immunomodulator and potent chemotactic molecule present at elevated levels in HIV-1-infected patients, and its expression may thus be induced by viral trans-activating proteins such as Tat. In this report, a replication-defective herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 tat gene transfer vector, dSTat, was used to transiently express HIV-1 Tat in glial cells in culture and following intracerebral inoculation in mouse brain in order to directly determine whether Tat can increase TGF-beta1 mRNA expression. dSTat infection of Vero cells transiently transfected by a panel of HIV-1 long terminal repeat deletion mutants linked to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene demonstrated that vector-expressed Tat activated the long terminal repeat in a trans-activation response element-dependent fashion independent of the HSV-mediated induction of the HIV-1 enhancer, or NF-kappaB domain. Northern blot analysis of human astrocytic glial U87-MG cells transfected by dSTat vector DNA resulted in a substantial increase in steady-state levels of TGF-beta1 mRNA. Furthermore, intracerebral inoculation of dSTat followed by Northern blot analysis of whole mouse brain RNA revealed an increase in levels of TGF-beta1 mRNA similar to that observed in cultured glial cells transfected by dSTat DNA. These results provided direct in vivo evidence for the involvement of HIV-1 Tat in activation of TGF-beta1 gene expression in brain. Tat-mediated stimulation of TGF-beta1 expression suggests a novel pathway by which HIV-1 may alter the expression of cytokines in the central nervous system, potentially contributing to the development of AIDS-associated neurological disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rasty
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thatikunta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khalili
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Glorioso
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015756:Genes, tat; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics*; D014709:Vero Cells; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta