THE HIV-1 ENVELOPE PROTEIN GP120 INDUCES NEURONAL APOPTOSIS IN HIPPOCAMPAL SLICES

THE HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 produces neuronal cell damage in prim ary cultures of a variety of cell types including hippocampal and reti nal ganglion cell neurons. The properties of primary cell cultures are , however, often markedly different from those of cells living in thei r normal environment. We report that gp120 induces widespread chromati n condensation and lesions in pyramidal granular neurones and in inter neurones of rat hippocampal organotypic slice cultures. This damage is clearly of an apoptotic (programmed cell death) type. The use of an i n vitro organized structure will enable the molecular and cellular mec hanism of action of gp120 to be examined in conditions which are parti cularly suitable and relevant to the in vivo situation.