Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infects cells in the Central Nervous System (CNS), where the access of antiretrovirals and antibodies that can kill the virus may be challenging. As a result of the early HIV entry in the brain, infected individuals develop inflammation and neurological deficit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liana Basova, Julia A Najera, Nikki Bortell, Di Wang, Rosita Moya, Alexander Lindsey, Svetlana Semenova, Ronald J Ellis, Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2018-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199861&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849766451258327040
author Liana Basova
Julia A Najera
Nikki Bortell
Di Wang
Rosita Moya
Alexander Lindsey
Svetlana Semenova
Ronald J Ellis
Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
author_facet Liana Basova
Julia A Najera
Nikki Bortell
Di Wang
Rosita Moya
Alexander Lindsey
Svetlana Semenova
Ronald J Ellis
Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
author_sort Liana Basova
collection DOAJ
description The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infects cells in the Central Nervous System (CNS), where the access of antiretrovirals and antibodies that can kill the virus may be challenging. As a result of the early HIV entry in the brain, infected individuals develop inflammation and neurological deficits at various levels, which are aggravated by drugs of abuse. In the non-human primate model of HIV, we have previously shown that drugs of abuse such as Methamphetamine (Meth) increase brain viral load in correlation with a higher number of CCR5-expressing myeloid cells. CCR5 is a chemokine receptor that may be involved in increasing inflammation, but also, it is a co-receptor for viral entry into target cells. CCR5-expressing myeloid cells are the main targets of HIV in the CNS. Thus, the identification of factors and mechanisms that impact the expression of CCR5 in the brain is critical, as changes in CCR5 levels may affect the infection in the brain. Using a well-characterized in vitro system, with the THP1 human macrophage cell line, we have investigated the hypothesis that the expression of CCR5 is acutely affected by Meth, and examined pathways by which this effect could happen. We found that Meth plays a direct role by regulating the abundance and nuclear translocation of transcription factors with binding sites in the CCR5 promoter. However, we found that the main factor that modifies the CCR5 gene promoter at the epigenetic level towards transcription is Dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter that is produced primarily in brain regions that are rich in dopaminergic neurons. In THP1 cells, the effect of DA on innate immune CCR5 transcription was mediated by DA receptors (DRDs), mainly DRD4. We also identified a role for DRD1 in suppressing CCR5 expression in this myeloid cell system, with potential implications for therapy. The effect of DA on innate immune CCR5 expression was also detectable on the cell surface during acute time-points, using low doses. In addition, HIV Tat acted by enhancing the surface expression of CCR5, in spite of its poor effect on transcription. Overall, our data suggests that the exposure of myeloid cells to Meth in the context of presence of HIV peptides such as Tat, may affect the number of HIV targets by modulating CCR5 expression, through a combination of DA-dependent and-independent mechanisms. Other drugs that increase DA may affect similar mechanisms. The implications of these epigenetic and translational mechanisms in enhancing HIV infection in the brain and elsewhere are demonstrated.
format Article
id doaj-art-556b3d858e7644f4ae8ffad99ea6aa5b
institution DOAJ
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2018-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-556b3d858e7644f4ae8ffad99ea6aa5b2025-08-20T03:04:35ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-01136e019986110.1371/journal.pone.0199861Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.Liana BasovaJulia A NajeraNikki BortellDi WangRosita MoyaAlexander LindseySvetlana SemenovaRonald J EllisMaria Cecilia Garibaldi MarcondesThe Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infects cells in the Central Nervous System (CNS), where the access of antiretrovirals and antibodies that can kill the virus may be challenging. As a result of the early HIV entry in the brain, infected individuals develop inflammation and neurological deficits at various levels, which are aggravated by drugs of abuse. In the non-human primate model of HIV, we have previously shown that drugs of abuse such as Methamphetamine (Meth) increase brain viral load in correlation with a higher number of CCR5-expressing myeloid cells. CCR5 is a chemokine receptor that may be involved in increasing inflammation, but also, it is a co-receptor for viral entry into target cells. CCR5-expressing myeloid cells are the main targets of HIV in the CNS. Thus, the identification of factors and mechanisms that impact the expression of CCR5 in the brain is critical, as changes in CCR5 levels may affect the infection in the brain. Using a well-characterized in vitro system, with the THP1 human macrophage cell line, we have investigated the hypothesis that the expression of CCR5 is acutely affected by Meth, and examined pathways by which this effect could happen. We found that Meth plays a direct role by regulating the abundance and nuclear translocation of transcription factors with binding sites in the CCR5 promoter. However, we found that the main factor that modifies the CCR5 gene promoter at the epigenetic level towards transcription is Dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter that is produced primarily in brain regions that are rich in dopaminergic neurons. In THP1 cells, the effect of DA on innate immune CCR5 transcription was mediated by DA receptors (DRDs), mainly DRD4. We also identified a role for DRD1 in suppressing CCR5 expression in this myeloid cell system, with potential implications for therapy. The effect of DA on innate immune CCR5 expression was also detectable on the cell surface during acute time-points, using low doses. In addition, HIV Tat acted by enhancing the surface expression of CCR5, in spite of its poor effect on transcription. Overall, our data suggests that the exposure of myeloid cells to Meth in the context of presence of HIV peptides such as Tat, may affect the number of HIV targets by modulating CCR5 expression, through a combination of DA-dependent and-independent mechanisms. Other drugs that increase DA may affect similar mechanisms. The implications of these epigenetic and translational mechanisms in enhancing HIV infection in the brain and elsewhere are demonstrated.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199861&type=printable
spellingShingle Liana Basova
Julia A Najera
Nikki Bortell
Di Wang
Rosita Moya
Alexander Lindsey
Svetlana Semenova
Ronald J Ellis
Maria Cecilia Garibaldi Marcondes
Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.
PLoS ONE
title Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.
title_full Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.
title_fullStr Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.
title_full_unstemmed Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.
title_short Dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of CCR5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to Methamphetamine: Implications to HIV infection.
title_sort dopamine and its receptors play a role in the modulation of ccr5 expression in innate immune cells following exposure to methamphetamine implications to hiv infection
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0199861&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT lianabasova dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT juliaanajera dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT nikkibortell dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT diwang dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT rositamoya dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT alexanderlindsey dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT svetlanasemenova dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT ronaldjellis dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection
AT mariaceciliagaribaldimarcondes dopamineanditsreceptorsplayaroleinthemodulationofccr5expressionininnateimmunecellsfollowingexposuretomethamphetamineimplicationstohivinfection