title: Disruption of neuronal CXCR4 function by opioids: preliminary evidence of ferritin heavy chain as a potential etiological agent in neuroAIDS.
abstract: The chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor, CXCR4, regulate neuronal migration, differentiation, and survival. Alterations of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling are implicated in different neuropathologies, including the neurological complications of HIV infection. Opiates are important co-factors for progression to neuroAIDS and can disrupt the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in vitro and in vivo. This paper will review recently identified mechanisms of opiate-induced CXCR4 impairment in neurons and introduce results from pilot studies in human brain tissue, which highlight the role of the protein ferritin heavy chain in HIV neuropathology in patients with history of drug abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 245 North 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pitcher
authors.forename: Saori
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burbassi
authors.forename: Olimpia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Meucci
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001052:Apoferritins / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000502:physiology; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C515255:CXCL12 protein, human; C527276:CXCR4 protein, human; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4; D001052:Apoferritins