title: Effects of HIV-1 Vpr on neuroinvasion and neuropathogenesis.
abstract: Human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) infection leads to penetration of the central nervous system (CNS) in virtually all infected individuals and HIV-1-induced encephalopathy in a significant number of untreated patients. The molecular mechanisms by which HIV-1 enters the CNS and yields CNS dysfunction are still unclear. Our laboratories and others have begun to explore the direct effects of prioritized HIV-1-specific proteins on diverse human CNS cell types. One of these proteins, the accessory HIV-1 protein Vpr, is a critical moiety in these studies, and will be discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Division of Infectious Disease and Environmental Medicine, Center for Human Virology and Biodefense, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA. roger.j.pomerantz@jefferson.edu
authors.forename: Roger J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pomerantz
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol; D016336:Gene Products, vpr / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D016336:Gene Products, vpr; D054325:vpr Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D000431:Ethanol; C505530:CASP8 protein, human; D053181:Caspase 8; D020169:Caspases