title: HIV-1 endocytosis in astrocytes: a kiss of death or survival of the fittest?
abstract: The brain is a target of HIV-1 and serves as an important viral reservoir. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell in the human brain, are involved in brain plasticity and neuroprotection. Several studies have reported HIV-1 infection of astrocytes in cell cultures and infected brain tissues. The prevailing concept is that HIV-1 infection of astrocytes leads to latent infection. Here, we provide our perspective on endocytosis-mediated HIV-1 entry and its fate in astrocytes. Natural entry of HIV-1 into astrocytes occurs via endocytosis. However, endocytosis of HIV-1 in astrocytes is a natural death trap where the majority of virus particles are degraded in endosomes and a few which escape intact lead to successful infection. Thus, regardless of artificial fine-tuning (treatment with cytokines or proinflammatory products) done to astrocytes, HIV-1 does not infect them efficiently unless the viral entry route or the endosomal enzymatic machinery has been manipulated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States; Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States. Electronic address: Ashok.Chauhan@uscmed.sc.edu.
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States.
authors.forename: Akshay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tikoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States.
authors.forename: Jankiben
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29209, United States.
authors.forename: Arwa Mujahid
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abdullah
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D001921:Brain / Q000821:virology*; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Chloroquine; DDX3; HIV-1 brain; HIV-1 latency; HIV-1 reservoir; Rab