title: Immortalization of primary microglia: a new platform to study HIV regulation in the central nervous system.
abstract: The major reservoirs for HIV in the CNS are in the microglia, perivascular macrophages, and to a lesser extent, astrocytes. To study the molecular events controlling HIV expression in the microglia, we developed a reliable and robust method to immortalize microglial cells from primary glia from fresh CNS tissues and commercially available frozen glial cells. Primary human cells, including cells obtained from adult brain tissue, were transformed with lentiviral vectors expressing SV40 T antigen or a combination of SVR40 T antigen and hTERT. The immortalized cells have microglia-like morphology and express key microglial surface markers including CD11b, TGFβR, and P2RY12. Importantly, these cells were confirmed to be of human origin by sequencing. The RNA expression profiles identified by RNA-seq are also characteristic of microglial cells. Furthermore, the cells demonstrate the expected migratory and phagocytic activity, and the capacity to mount an inflammatory response characteristic of primary microglia. The immortalization method has also been successfully applied to a wide range of microglia from other species (macaque, rat, and mouse). To investigate different aspects of HIV molecular regulation in CNS, the cells have been superinfected with HIV reporter viruses and latently infected clones have been selected that reactive HIV in response to inflammatory signals. The cell lines we have developed and rigorously characterized will provide an invaluable resource for the study of HIV infection in microglial cells as well as studies of microglial cell function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Yoelvis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Garcia-Mesa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Taylor R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Jay
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Checkley
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luttge
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Curtis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dobrowolski
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Saba
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valadkhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Gary E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Landreth
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karn
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA. dxa150@case.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8348-6055
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Carbonell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement; D018703:Founder Effect; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008251:Macaca; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D010587:Phagocytosis; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D051381:Rats; D058925:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y12 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D015415:Biomarkers; D039481:CD11b Antigen; C548576:P2RY12 protein, human; D058925:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y12; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta
keywords: HIV regulation; HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; Microglia; NeuroAIDS