Cocaine and HIV-1 Tat disrupt cholesterol homeostasis in astrocytes: Implications for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders in cocaine user patients.

ABSTRACT: Cholesterol synthesis and clearance by astrocytes are tightly regulated to maintain constant levels within the brain. In this context, liver X receptors (LXRs) are the master regulators of cholesterol homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS). Increasing levels of cholesterol in astrocytes trigger LXR activation leading to the transcription of target genes involved in cholesterol trafficking and efflux, including apolipoprotein E, cytochrome P450 enzymes, sterol regulatory binding protein, and several ATP-binding cassette transporter proteins. The disturbance of LXR signaling in the brain can lead to significant dysfunctions in cholesterol homeostasis, and disruptions in this pathway have been implicated in numerous neurological diseases including Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's

SUBMITTER: Cotto B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5769965 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature