title: HIV-1 Tat-mediated neurotoxicity in retinal cells.
abstract: The current study was aimed at investigating the effect of HIV-1 protein Tat on the retinal neurosensory cell line R28. Exposure of Tat resulted in induction of pro-inflammatory mediators such as CXCL10 and TNF-α in addition to the activation marker GFAP in these cells. Conditioned media from Tat-treated R28 cells was able to induce monocyte migration, an effect that was blocked by CXCR3 antagonist. Complementary studies in the HIV-1 Tat-transgenic mice, showed a complete absence of the nuclear layer and the outer photoreceptor segments of the retina with a concomitant increase in glial activation. These findings lend support to the observation in post-HAART era of increased incidence of immune response-mediated retinal degeneration. These findings have direct relevance to diseases such as immune response uveitis and patients recovering from CMV retinitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ocular Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, 41 College Road, Chennai 600006, India. drnc@snmail.org
authors.forename: Nivedita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Callen
authors.forename: Gail M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Seigel
authors.forename: Shilpa J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Buch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus