TRANSIENT INFECTION OF ASTROCYTES WITH HIV-1 PRIMARY ISOLATES DERIVEDFROM PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT AIDS DEMENTIA COMPLEX

We have studied the replication capacity of primary HIV-1 isolates obt ained from four AIDS patients in astrocytes, Two patients (P1 and P2) had neurological manifestations without AIDS Dementia Complex (ADC), T he other two patients (P3 and P4) had ADC. Two astrocytoma cell lines and normal fetal astrocytes were incoculated with each of these four v iral isolates, Viral DNA and mRNA synthesis and also protein accumulat ion were followed at various times after infection, We found that tumo ral as well as fetal astrocytes were susceptible to HIV-1 infection, T hree of four viral isolates (P2, P3, P4) were able to infect astrocyte s, Both ADC viral isolates (P3, P4) infected astrocytes with identical transcriptional patterns: rev, nef and unspliced mRNAs were expressed for 2 days after infection. The non-ADC patient (P2) with the isolate leading to viral replication in astrocytes had an HIV-1 associated mu ltifocal demyelinating neuropathy, In this case, only nef and unsplice d mRNAs were detected a few days after virus inoculation. In all cases , infection of astrocytes was transient and the level of unspliced mRN As in infected astrocytes was lower than in chronically HIV-1 infected T cells. More extensive work would allow a better understanding of th e role of astrocytes in ADC.