Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 32, Issue 46, Pages 16306-16313Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3145-12.2012
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Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01 NS060632, F31 NS071999]
- Chicago Developmental Center for AIDS Research [P30 AI 082151]
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Cancer Institute
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Wnt/beta-catenin is a neuroprotective pathway regulating cell fate commitment in the CNS and many vital functions of neurons and glia. Its dysregulation is linked to a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Wnt/beta-catenin is also a repressor of HIV transcription in multiple cell types, including astrocytes, which are dysregulated in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder. Given that HIV proteins can overcome host restriction factors and that perturbations of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling can compromise astrocyte function, we evaluated the impact of HIV transactivator of transcription (Tat) on Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in astrocytes. HIV clade B Tat, in primary progenitor-derived astrocytes and U87MG cells, inhibited Wnt/beta-catenin signaling as demonstrated by its inhibition of active beta-catenin, TOPflash reporter activity, and Axin-2 (a downstream target of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling). Point mutations in either the core region (K41A) or the cysteine-rich region (C30G) of Tat abrogated its ability to inhibit beta-catenin signaling. Clade C Tat, which lacks the dicysteine motif, did not alter beta-catenin signaling, confirming that the dicysteine motif is critical for Tat inhibition of beta-catenin signaling. Tat coprecipitated with TCF-4 (a transcription factor that partners with beta-catenin), suggesting a physical interaction between these two proteins. Furthermore, knockdown of beta-catenin or TCF-4 enhanced docking of Tat at the TAR region of the HIV long terminal repeat. These findings highlight a bidirectional interference between Tat and Wnt/beta-catenin that negatively impacts their cognate target genes. The consequences of this interaction include alleviation of Wnt/beta-catenin-mediated suppression of HIV and possible astrocyte dysregulation contributing to HIV neuropathogenesis.
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