Abstract
HIV infection has become a chronic and manageable disease due to the effective use of antiretroviral therapies (ART); however, several chronic aging-related comorbidities, including cognitive impairment, remain a major public health issue. However, these mechanisms are unknown. Here, we identified that glial and myeloid viral reservoirs are associated with local myelin damage and the release of several myelin components, including the lipid sulfatide. Soluble sulfatide compromised gap junctional communication and calcium wave coordination, essential for proper cognition. We propose that soluble sulfatide could be a potential biomarker and contributor to white matter compromise observed in HIV-infected individuals even in the current ART era.
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Funding
This work was funded by The National Institute of Mental Health grant, MH128082, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NS105584, from the UTMB Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences and the UTMB Institute for Human Infection &Immunity (to EAE).
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Study concepts and design were undertaken by BP, and EAE Data acquisition and analysis were undertaken for DD BP and EAE Manuscript suggestions and writing was provided for all authors.
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D’Amico, D., Barone, R., Di Felice, V. et al. Chronic brain damage in HIV-infected individuals under antiretroviral therapy is associated with viral reservoirs, sulfatide release, and compromised cell-to-cell communication. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 80, 116 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-023-04757-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-023-04757-0