HIV enters the central nervous system (CNS) during the early stages of infection and can cause neurological dysfunction, including neurodegeneration and neurocognitive impairment. The specific autophagy responsible for removal of damaged mitochondria (mitophagy) and mitochondrial dynamics constitute neuronal mitochondrial quality control mechanisms and are impaired in neurodegenerative disorders and numerous other diseases. The release of HIV proteins gp120 and Tat from infected cells is thought to play an important role in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), but the mechanism(s) leading to impairment are poorly understood. Here, we report that exposure of human primary neurons (HPNs) to HIV gp120 and Tat accelerates the balance of mitochondrial dynamics toward fission (fragmented mitochondria) and induces perinuclear aggregation of mitochondria and mitochondrial translocation of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1), leading to neuronal mitochondrial fragmentation. HIV gp120 and Tat increased the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta (LC3B) protein and induced selective recruitment of Parkin/SQSTM1 to the damaged mitochondria. Using either a dual fluorescence reporter system expressing monomeric red fluorescent protein and enhanced green fluorescent protein targeted to mitochondria (mito-mRFP-EGFP) or a tandem light chain 3 (LC3) vector (mCherry-EGFP-LC3), both HIV proteins were found to inhibit mitophagic flux in human primary neurons. HIV gp120 and Tat induced mitochondrial damage and altered mitochondrial dynamics by decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). These findings indicate that HIV gp120 and Tat initiate the activation and recruitment of mitophagy markers to damaged mitochondria in neurons but impair the delivery of mitochondria to the lysosomal compartment. Altered mitochondrial dynamics associated with HIV infection and incomplete neuronal mitophagy may play a significant role in the development of HAND and accelerated aging associated with HIV infection. Despite viral suppression by antiretrovirals, HIV proteins continue to be detected in infected cells and neurologic complications remain common in infected people. Although HIV is unable to infect neurons, viral proteins, including gp120 and Tat, can enter neurons and can cause neuronal degeneration and neurocognitive impairment. Neuronal health is dependent on the functional integrity of mitochondria, and damaged mitochondria are subjected to mitochondrial control mechanisms. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that specific elimination of damaged mitochondria through mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics play an important role in CNS diseases. Here, we show that in human primary neurons, gp120 and Tat favor the balance of mitochondrial dynamics toward enhanced fragmentation through the activation of mitochondrial translocation of DRP1 to the damaged mitochondria. However, mitophagy fails to go to completion, leading to neuronal damage. These findings support a role for altered mitophagy in HIV-associated...

Despite the availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) that fully suppresses human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV), markers of inflammation and minor neurocognitive impairment are frequently identified in HIV-infected persons. Increasing data support that low level replication defective viral RNA is made by infected cells despite the absence of infectious virus. Specific GU-rich single-stranded RNA from the HIV long terminal repeat region (ssRNA40) signaling through toll-like receptor (TLR)-7 and -8 has been shown to induce the secretion of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in primary monocytes. Here, we examined the activation of microglial cells by HIV ssRNA40, and the potential subsequent neurotoxicity. Our findings show that exposure of human primary microglia to ssRNA40 activates the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Following exposure to ssRNA40, pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-18 and neurotoxic cytokines TNF-α, IL-1α and C1q expression and extracellular secretion are increased. The released cytokines are functional since culture supernatants from ssRNA40 exposed microglia induced toxicity of human primary neurons. Moreover, inflammasome activation of microglia increased ROS generation with a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial integrity. Treatment with ssRNA40 resulted in a blockade of autophagy/mitophagy mediated negative regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome activity with release of inflammatory cytokines, caspase-1 activation and pyroptotic microglial cell death. Thus, HIV ssRNA mediated activation of microglial cells can contribute to neurotoxicity and neurodegeneration via secretion of inflammatory and neurotoxic cytokines. These findings provide a potential mechanism that explains the frequent minor cognitive deficits and chronic inflammation that persist in HIV-infected persons despite treatment with suppressive ART.

Methamphetamine, a potent psychostimulant, is a highly addictive drug commonly used by persons living with HIV (PLWH), and its use can result in cognitive impairment and memory deficits long after its use is discontinued. Although the mechanism(s) involved with persistent neurological deficits are not fully known, mitochondrial dysfunction is a key component in methamphetamine neuropathology. Specific mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy), and mitochondrial fusion and fission are protective quality control mechanisms that can be dysregulated in HIV infection and the use of methamphetamine can further negatively affect these protective cellular mechanisms. Here, we observed that treatment of human primary neurons (HPNs) with methamphetamine and HIV gp120 and Tat increase dynamin-related protein (DRP1)-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation and neuronal degeneration. Methamphetamine and HIV proteins increased microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta-II (LC3B-II) lipidation and induced sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1, P62) translocation to damaged mitochondria. Additionally, the combination inhibited autophagic flux, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial damage, and reduced microtubule associated protein-2 (MAP2) dendrites in human neurons. N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a strong antioxidant and ROS scavenger, abrogated DRP1-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation and neurite degeneration. Thus, we show that methamphetamine combined with HIV proteins inhibits mitophagy and induces neuronal damage, and NAC reverses these deleterious effects on mitochondrial function. IMPORTANCE Human and animal studies show that HIV infection combined with the long-term use of psychostimulants increase neuronal stress and the occurrence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). On the cellular level, mitochondrial function is critical for neuronal health. In this study, we show that in human primary neurons, the combination of HIV proteins and methamphetamine increase oxidative stress, DRP-1 mediated mitochondrial fragmentation and neuronal injury manifested by a reduction in neuronal network and connectivity. The use of NAC, a potent antioxidant, reversed the neurotoxic effects of HIV and methamphetamine suggesting a novel approach to ameliorate the effects of HIV and methamphetamine associated cognitive deficits.

Prenatal alcohol exposure is the foremost preventable etiology of intellectual disability and leads to a collection of diagnoses known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Alcohol (EtOH) impacts diverse neural cell types and activity, but the precise functional pathophysiological effects on the human fetal cerebral cortex are unclear. Here, we used human cortical organoids to study the effects of EtOH on neurogenesis and validated our findings in primary human fetal neurons. EtOH exposure produced temporally dependent cellular effects on proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. In addition, we identified EtOH-induced alterations in post-translational histone modifications and chromatin accessibility, leading to impairment of cAMP and calcium signaling, glutamatergic synaptic development, and astrocytic function. Proteomic spatial profiling of cortical organoids showed region-specific, EtOH-induced alterations linked to changes in cytoskeleton, gliogenesis, and impaired synaptogenesis. Finally, multi-electrode array electrophysiology recordings confirmed the deleterious impact of EtOH on neural network formation and activity in cortical organoids, which was validated in primary human fetal tissues. Our findings demonstrate progress in defining the human molecular and cellular phenotypic signatures of prenatal alcohol exposure on functional neurodevelopment, increasing our knowledge for potential therapeutic interventions targeting FASD symptoms.

Autophagy is a highly conserved recycling pathway that promotes cell survival during periods of stress. We previously reported that induction of autophagy through the inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR) inhibits HIV replication in human macrophages and CD4+ T lymphocytes (T cells). However, the inhibition of MTOR has modulatory effects beyond autophagy that might affect viral replication. Here, we examined the effect on HIV replication of trehalose, a non-toxic, non-reducing disaccharide that induces autophagy through an MTOR independent mechanism. Treatment of HIV-infected macrophages and T cells with trehalose inhibited infection in a dose dependent manner. Uninfected and HIV-infected macrophages and T cells treated with trehalose exhibited increased markers of autophagy including LC3B lipidation with further accumulation following bafilomycin A1 treatment, and increased levels of LAMP1, LAMP2 and RAB7 proteins required for lysosomal biogenesis and fusion. Moreover, the inhibition of HIV by trehalose was significantly reduced by knockdown of ATG5. Additionally, trehalose down-regulated the expression of CCR5 in T cells, and CD4 in both T cells and macrophages which reduced HIV entry in these cells. Our data demonstrate that the naturally occurring sugar, trehalose, at doses safely achieved in humans inhibits HIV through two mechanisms: 1) decreased entry through the down-regulation of CCR5 in T-cells, and decreased CD4 expression in both T-cells and macrophages; and 2) degradation of intracellular HIV through the induction of MTOR independent autophagy. These findings demonstrate that cellular mechanisms can be modulated to inhibit HIV entry and intracellular replication using a naturally occurring, non-toxic sugar. Importance: Induction of autophagy through inhibition of MTOR has been shown to inhibit HIV replication. However, inhibition of MTOR has cellular effects that may alter HIV infection through other mechanisms. Here, we examined the HIV inhibitory effects of the MTOR independent inducer of autophagy, trehalose. Of note, we identified that in addition to the inhibition of the intracellular replication of HIV by autophagy, trehalose decreased viral entry in human primary macrophages and CD4+ T-cells through the down-regulation of CCR5 in T cells, and CD4 in both T cells and macrophages. Thus, we have shown that trehalose uniquely inhibits HIV replication through inhibition of viral entry and intracellular degradation in the two most important target cells for HIV infection.