Neurodevelopmental processes in the prefrontal cortex derailed by chronic hiv-1 viral protein exposure

Kristen A. McLaurin, Hailong Li, Rosemarie M. Booze, Charles F. Mactutus

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Due to the widespread access to, and implementation of, combination antiretroviral therapy, individuals perinatally infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) are living into adolescence and adulthood. Perinatally infected adolescents living with HIV-1 (pALHIV) are plagued by progressive, chronic neurocognitive impairments; the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these deficits, however, remain understudied. A longitudinal experimental design from postnatal day (PD) 30 to PD 180 was utilized to establish the development of pyramidal neurons, and associated dendritic spines, from layers II-III of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) and control animals. Three putative neuroinflammatory markers (i.e., IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were evaluated early in development (i.e., PD 30) as a potential mechanism underlying synaptic dysfunction in the mPFC. Constitutive expression of HIV-1 viral proteins induced prominent neurodevelopmental alterations and progressive synaptodendritic dysfunction, independent of biological sex, in pyramidal neurons from layers II-III of the mPFC. From a neurodevelopmental perspective, HIV-1 Tg rats exhibited prominent deficits in dendritic and synaptic pruning. With regards to progressive synaptodendritic dysfunction, HIV-1 Tg animals exhibited an age-related population shift towards dendritic spines with decreased volume, increased backbone length, and decreased head diameter; parameters associated with a more immature dendritic spine phenotype. There was no compelling evidence for neuroinflammation in the mPFC during early development. Collectively, progressive neuronal and dendritic spine dysmorphology herald synaptodendritic dysfunction as a key neural mechanism underlying chronic neurocognitive impairments in pALHIV.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3037
JournalCells
Volume10
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding: This work was supported in part by grants from NIH (National Institute on Drug Abuse, DA013137; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, HD043680; National Institute of Mental Health, MH106392; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NS100624) and the interdisciplinary research training program supported by the University of South Carolina Behavioral-Biomedical Interface Program.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Dendritic spines
  • Development
  • Human immunodeficiency virus type 1
  • Neuroinflammation
  • Prefrontal cortex

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (all)

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