Title:Overview on the Tricks of HIV Tat to Hit the Blood Brain Barrier
Volume: 14
Issue: 5
Author(s): Sunit K. Singh
Affiliation:
Keywords:
NeuroAIDS, HIV Tat and Blood Brain Barrier, MicroRNA and Blood Brain Barrier.
Abstract: HIV infection among AIDS patients is associated with dysfunctions in
the central nervous system (CNS) at the late stages of the disease. HIV Tat protein
is released extracellularly from the productively infected cells and play important
role in successful HIV replication and activates the neighboring uninfected cells in
the bystander fashion. The structural flexibility of Tat protein is one of the unique
features, responsible for the diverse functions. The RNA binding ability and
interacting domains are very important characteristic of the HIV-Tat protein. HIV
Tat protein adversely affects the integrity of the blood brain barrier by a variety of
mechanisms. Such compromise in the integrity of the blood brain barrier could
affect the neuro-immune interactions within the brain, which results to the neuroinflammation.
