HIV-1 Antigens in Neurons of Cocaine-Abusing Patients.
Cocaine opens the blood-brain barrier by deregulating transcription of target genes. Here we show that cocaine at blood concentrations in drug abusers disrupts endothelial cell junctions in parallel with signaling by phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase and myosin light chain. Cocaine effects may be important in vivo since the neurons of drug abusing patients with HIV-1 associated dementia displayed gp120, p24 and Nef.
Fiala
Milan
M
Departments of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Singer
Elyse J
EJ
Commins
Deborah
D
Mirzapoiazova
Tamara
T
Verin
Alexander
A
Espinosa
Araceli
A
Ugen
Kenneth
K
Bernas
Michael
M
Witte
Marlys
M
Weinand
Martin
M
Lossinsky
Albert S
AS