期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:1999
卷号:96
期号:24
页码:14013-14018
DOI:10.1073/pnas.96.24.14013
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophin with the ability to exert specific effects on cells of the immune system. Human monocytes/macrophages (M/M) infected in vitro with HIV type 1 (HIV-1) are able to produce substantial levels of NGF that are associated with enhanced expression of the high-affinity NGF receptor (p140 trkA) on the M/M surface. Treatment of HIV-infected human M/M with anti-NGF Ab blocking the biological activity of NGF leads to a marked decrease of the expression of p140 trkA high-affinity receptor, a concomitant increased expression of p75NTR low-affinity receptor for NGF, and the occurrence of apoptotic death of M/M. Taken together, these findings suggest a role for NGF as an autocrine survival factor that rescues human M/M from the cytopathic effect caused by HIV infection.