Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-2-2
pubmed:abstractText
Infection by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) often results in neurological dysfunction including HIV dementia (HIVD). Alterations in cytokine and redox balance are thought to play important roles in the pathogenesis of HIVD, but the specific mechanisms underlying neuronal dysfunction and death are unknown. Activation of cytokine receptors and oxidative stress can induce the production of ceramide from membrane sphingomyelin, and recent findings suggest that ceramide is an important mediator of a form of programmed cell death called apoptosis. We now report that levels of ceramide, sphingomyelin, and hydroxynonenal (HNE) are significantly increased in brain tissues and cerebrospinal fluid of HIVD patients. Exposure of cultured neurons to the neurotoxic HIV proteins gp120 and Tat resulted in increased cellular levels of sphingomyelin, ceramide, and HNE. The ceramide precursor palmitoyl-CoA sensitized neurons to Tat and gp120 toxicity, whereas an inhibitor of ceramide production reduced Tat and gp120-induced increases of ceramide and HNE and protected the neurons from Tat and gp120-induced death. These results suggest that HIV-1 infection may promote a lipid imbalance in neural cells, resulting in an overproduction of ceramide and consequent cellular dysfunction and death.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0364-5134
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
55
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
257-67
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-6-2
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
Perturbation of sphingolipid metabolism and ceramide production in HIV-dementia.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. nhaughe1@jhmi.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Comparative Study