• Bei Li, Yuqiang Shi, Jianhong Shu, Junling Gao, Ping Wu, and Shao-Jun Tang.
• Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
• J. Biol. Chem. 2013 May 10;288(19):13610-9.

BackgroundHIV-1 infection causes chronic neuroinflammation in the central nervous system (CNS).ResultsThe spinal cytokine up-regulation induced by HIV-1 gp120 protein depends on Wnt5a/CaMKII and/or Wnt5a/JNK pathways.Conclusiongp120 stimulates cytokine expression in the spinal cord dorsal horn by activating Wnt5a signaling.SignificanceThe finding reveals Wnt signaling-mediated novel mechanisms by which HIV-1 may cause neuroinflammation. Chronic expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines critically contributes to the pathogenesis of HIV-associated neurological disorders (HANDs), but the host mechanism that regulates the HIV-induced cytokine expression in the CNS remains elusive. Here, we present evidence for a crucial role of Wnt5a signaling in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord induced by a major HIV-envelope protein, gp120. Wnt5a is mainly expressed in spinal neurons, and rapidly up-regulated by intrathecal injection (i.t.) of gp120. We show that inhibition of Wnt5a by specific antagonists blocks gp120-induced up-regulation of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the spinal cord. Conversely, injection (i.t.) of purified recombinant Wnt5a stimulates the expression of these cytokines. To elucidate the role of the Wnt5a-regulated signaling pathways in gp120-induced cytokine expression, we have focused on CaMKII and JNKs, the well characterized down-stream targets of Wnt5a signaling. We find that Wnt5a is required for gp120 to activate CaMKII and JNK signaling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Wnt5a/CaMKII pathway is critical for the gp120-induced expression of IL-1β, whereas the Wnt5a/JNK pathway is for TNF-α expression. Meanwhile, the expression of IL-6 is co-regulated by both pathways. These results collectively suggest that Wnt5a signaling cascades play a crucial role in the regulation of gp120-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the CNS.

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