Neurotoxicity of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) includes synaptic simplification and neuronal apoptosis. However, the mechanisms of HIV-associated neurotoxicity remain unclear, thus precluding an effective treatment of the neurological complications. The present study was undertaken to characterize novel mechanisms of HIV neurotoxicity that may explain how HIV subjects develop neuronal degeneration. Several neurodegenerative disorders are characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction; therefore, we hypothesized that HIV promotes mitochondrial damage. We first analyzed brains from HIV encephalitis (HIVE) by electron microscopy. Several sections of HIVE subjects contained enlarged and damaged mitochondria compared to brains from HIV subjects with no neurological complications. Similar pathologies were observed in mice overexpressing the HIV protein gp120, suggesting that this viral protein may be responsible for mitochondrial pathology found in HIVE. To gain more information about the cellular mechanisms of gp120 neurotoxicity, we exposed rat cortical neurons to gp120 and we determined cellular oxygen consumption rate, mitochondrial distribution, and trafficking. Our data show that gp120 evokes impairment in mitochondrial function and distribution. These data suggest that one of the mechanisms of HIV neurotoxicity includes altered mitochondrial dynamics in neurons.

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1421–1433. Abstract Type I interferons (IFNs) are known to cause neuropsychiatric side effects, which have been proposed to be mediated by either peripheral actions or activation of glial cells. In the present study, we have investigated whether these cytokines could act directly on neuronal cells and regulate signaling pathways involved in cell death. In human SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, type I IFNs rapidly stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of Janus kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) through type I IFN receptor. Prolonged exposure to IFN‐β induced apoptotic cell death accompanied by cytochrome C release, cleavage of caspases 9, 7, 3 and poly‐(ADP ribose) polymerase and DNA fragmentation. Janus kinase inhibition reduced IFN‐β‐stimulated TyK2 and STAT1 phosphorylation, STAT1 transcriptional activity, induction of double‐stranded RNA‐activated protein kinase (PKR) and caspase cleavage. PKR induction was associated with enhanced PKR activity and chemical inhibition of PKR reduced IFN‐stimulated caspase activation. Moreover, long‐term IFN‐β treatment led to down‐regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/Akt signaling and IFN‐β‐induced apoptosis was attenuated in cells expressing constitutively active Akt. Similarly, in mouse primary neurons IFN‐β induced STAT phosphorylation, caspase 3 cleavage and inhibition of Akt signaling. Thus, type I IFNs can directly impair neuronal survival by regulating multiple signaling molecules promoting the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. This effect may contribute to the cytokine neurotoxicity.

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) promotes synaptic simplification and neuronal apoptosis, and causes neurological impairments termed HIV-associated neurological disorders (HAND). HIV-associated neurotoxicity may be brought about by acute and chronic mechanisms that still remain to be fully characterized. The HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 causes neuronal degeneration similar to that observed in HAND subjects. The present study was undertaken to discover novel mechanisms of gp120 neurotoxicity that could explain how the envelope protein promotes neurite pruning. Gp120 has been shown to associate with various intracellular organelles as well as microtubules in neurons. We then analyzed lysates of neurons exposed to gp120 with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry for potential protein interactors. We found that one of the proteins interacting with gp120 is tubulin β-3 (TUBB3), a major component of neuronal microtubules. We then tested the hypothesis that gp120 binds to neuronal microtubules. Using surface plasmon resonance we confirmed that gp120 binds with high affinity to neuronal specific TUBB3. We have also identified the binding site of gp120 to TUBB3. We then designed a small peptide (Helix-A) that displaced gp120 from binding to TUBB3. To determine whether this peptide could prevent gp120-mediated neurotoxicity, we crosslinked Helix-A to mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Helix-A nano) to enhance the intracellular delivery of the peptide. We then tested the neuroprotective property of Helix-A nano against three strains of gp120 in rat cortical neurons. Helix-A nano prevented gp120-mediated neurite simplification as well as neuronal loss. These data propose that gp120 binding to TUBB3 could be another mechanism of gp120 neurotoxicity.

The chemokine CCL5 prevents neuronal cell death mediated both by amyloid β, as well as the human immunodeficiency virus viral proteins gp120 and Tat. Because CCL5 binds to CCR5, CCR3 and/or CCR1 receptors, it remains unclear which of these receptors plays a role in neuroprotection. Indeed, CCL5 also has neuroprotective activity in cells lacking these receptors. CCL5 may bind to a G-protein-coupled receptor 75 (GPR75), which encodes for a 540 amino-acid orphan receptor of the Gqα family. In this study, we have used SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells to characterize whether CCL5 could activate a Gq signaling through GPR75. Both qPCR and flow cytometry show that these cells express GPR75 but do not express CCR5, CCR3 or CCR1 receptors. SY-SY5Y cells were then used to examine CCL5-mediated signaling. We report that CCL5 promotes a time- and concentration-dependent phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT), glycogen synthase kinase 3β, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2. Specific antagonists of CCR5, CCR3, and CCR1 did not prevent CCL5 from increasing phosphorylated AKT or ERK. Moreover, CCL5 promotes a time-dependent internalization of GPR75. Lastly, knocking down GPR75 expression by a CRISPR-Cas9 approach inhibited the ability of CCL5 to activate pERK in SH-SY5Y cells. Therefore, we propose that GPR75 is a novel receptor for CCL5 that could explain some of the pharmacological action of this chemokine. These findings may help in the development of small molecule GPR75 agonists that mimic CCL5. Open Science: This manuscript was awarded with the Open Materials Badge. For more information see: https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/.

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have been reported to interact with the opioid system, but their pharmacological activity at opioid receptors has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the actions of amoxapine, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, desipramine, and imipramine at distinct cloned and native opioid receptors. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing ␦-opioid receptors (CHO/DOR), TCAs displaced [3H]naltrindole binding and stimulated guanosine 5Ј-O-(3-[35 S]thio)triphosphate ([ 35 S]GTP␥S) binding at micromolar concentrations with amoxapine displaying the highest potency and efficacy. Amoxapine and amitriptyline inhibited cyclic AMP formation and induced the phosphorylation of signaling molecules along the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase pathways. Amoxapine also activated ␦-opioid receptors in rat dorsal striatum and nucleus accumbens and human frontal cortex. In CHO cells expressing -opioid receptors (CHO/KOR), TCAs, but not amoxapine, exhibited higher receptor affinity and more potent stimulation of [35 S]GTP␥S binding than in CHO/DOR and effectively inhibited cyclic AMP accumulation. Amitriptyline regulated ERK1/2 phosphorylation and activity in CHO/KOR and C6 glioma cells endogenously expressing -opioid receptors, and this effect was attenuated by the -opioid antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. In rat nucleus accumbens, amitriptyline slightly inhibited adenylyl cyclase activity and counteracted the inhibitory effect of the full agonist trans-(Ϫ) -3,4dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl]benzeneacetamide (U50,488). At the cloned -opioid receptor, TCAs showed low affinity and no significant agonist activity. These results show that TCAs differentially regulate opioid receptors with a preferential agonist activity on either ␦ or subtypes and suggest that this property may contribute to their therapeutic and/or side effects.Although the inhibition of presynaptic reuptake of monoamines is considered to be the primary mechanism of action of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), it is well established that these drugs can act on multiple molecular targets by affecting the activity of distinct neurotransmitter receptor systems and ion channels (Baldessarini, 2006). These secondary actions have been generally related to TCAs' adverse side effects, although some of them have been proposed to contribute to the therapeutic activity.An interaction with the opioid system has long been shown to be involved in the analgesic and mood-elevating effects of TCAs. A number of studies have reported that the antinociceptive effects of TCAs are reversed by opioid receptor antagonists (Biegon and Samuel, 1980;Gray et al., 1998;Marchand et al., 2003; Benbouzid et al., 2008a,b) and that TCAs potentiate morphine-induced analgesia both in animals (Hamon et al., 1987) and in humans (Micó et al., 2006). In animal behavioral tests predictive of antidepressant effects in humans, such as the forced swimming and learned helplessness tests, th...