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.
Departments of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Milan
M
Fiala
Elyse J
EJ
Singer
Deborah
D
Commins
Tamara
T
Mirzapoiazova
Alexander
A
Verin
Araceli
A
Espinosa
Kenneth
K
Ugen
Michael
M
Bernas
Marlys
M
Witte
Martin
M
Weinand
Albert S
AS
Lossinsky