title: Effect of extracellular human immunodeficiency virus type 1 glycoprotein 120 on primary human vascular endothelial cell cultures.
abstract: During the course of an HIV-1 infection, free infectious and noninfectious virus particles, and free HIV-1 proteins, circulate within the host, exposing the host endothelium to these viral factors, even if the endothelium is not infected. This suggests that extracellular HIV-1 proteins could influence endothelial cell function, leading to pathogenesis. In light of this, we have used primary cultured human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) to screen for effects of the HIV-1 protein gp120 on endothelial cell function. The results of this study show that short exposure of HUVEC cultures to this protein causes significant levels of cytotoxicity. Further, using several different assays, we have shown that this cytotoxic effect on HUVECs appears to be due to induction of an apoptotic program. The biphasic nature of gp120 titration curves suggests that multiple cellular factors are mediating these gp120-induced effects. Competition studies appear to confirm this by showing that the apoptotic effect is mediated through two cell surface receptors on HUVECs, CCR5 and CXCR4. Alternatively, competition studies examining CD4 receptors suggests that CD4 played no role in gp12O-induced effects on HUVECs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30087-1495, USA.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: V C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Bond
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000494:pharmacology; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D019713:Receptors, CCR5 / Q000378:metabolism; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D008024:Ligands; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins; D019713:Receptors, CCR5; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4