Stages of restricted HIV-1 infection in astrocyte cultures derived from human fetal brain tissue.
The predominant cell types infected by HIV-1 in AIDS associated encephalopathy are cells of the macrophage/microglial lineage. There has been consistent evidence, however, that astrocytes also become infected although not at the same frequency or level of multiplication as microglial cells. HIV-1 antigens and/or nucleic acid have been identified in astrocytes in brain autopsy tissue from both adult and pediatric AIDS cases. In cell cultures, HIV-1 infection of astrocytes results in an initial productive but non-cytopathogenic infection that diminishes to a viral persistence or latent state. Understanding the nature of HIV-1 infection of astrocytes, which represents the largest population of cells in the brain, will contribute to the understanding of AIDS encephalopathy and the dementia that occurs in nearly one-quarter of all AIDS patients.
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Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland, MD 20892, USA.
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D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005333:Fetus; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans