Human immunodeficiency virus protein gp120 interferes with beta-adrenergic receptor-mediated protein phosphorylation in cultured rat cortical astrocytes.

1. We have previously shown that acute exposure to the HIV coat protein gp120 interferes with the beta-adrenergic regulation of astroglial and microglial cells (Levi et al., 1993). In particular, exposure to 100 pM gp120 for 30 min depressed the phosphorylation of vimentin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) induced by isoproterenol in rat cortical astrocyte cultures. In the present study we have extended our analysis on the effects of gp120 on astroglial protein phosphorylation. 2. We found that chronic (3-day) treatment of the cells with 100 pM gp120 before exposure to isoproterenol was substantially more effective than acute treatment in depressing the stimulatory effect of the beta-adrenergic agonist on vimentin and GFAP phosphorylation. 3. Even after chronic treatment with gp120, no differences were found in the levels and solubility of these proteins. 4. Besides stimulating the phosphorylation of intermediate filament proteins, isoproterenol inhibited the incorporation of 32P into a soluble acidic protein of 80,000 M(r), which was only minimally present in Triton X-100-insoluble extracts. 5. Treatment of astrocytes with a phorbol ester or exposure to 3H-myristic acid indicated that the acidic 80,000 M(r) protein is a substrate for protein kinase C (PKC) and is myristoylated, thus suggesting that it is related to the MARCKS family of PKC substrates. 6. Acute (30-min) treatment with 100 pM gp120 totally prevented the inhibitory effect of isoproterenol on the phosphorylation of the 80,000 M(r) MARCKS-like protein. 7. Our studies corroborate the hypothesis that viral components may contribute to the neuropathological changes observed in AIDS through the alteration of signal transduction systems in glial cells.