HIV-1 Tat and Cocaine Coexposure Impacts Pirnas to Affect Astrocyte Energy Metabolism

Abstract

Aim: To understand the effect of HIV infection and cocaine exposure on piRNA expression in human primary astrocytes. Materials&methods: We used small RNA sequencing analysis to investigate the impacts of HIV-1 Tat and cocaine coexposure on the expression of piRNAs in human primary astrocytes. Results: We identified 27,700 piRNAs and analyzed them by small RNA next-generation sequencing. A total of 239 piRNAs were significantly altered by HIV-1 Tat and cocaine coexposure. We also identified PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3 and PIWIL4 as interacting partners of piRNAs that were affected by cocaine and HIV-1 Tat coexposure. Epigenetic changes in the expression levels of these piRNA targets were associated with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of energy metabolism and neurodegeneration. Conclusion: These findings provide evidence that cocaine exposure and HIV infection affect the expression levels of piRNA, PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3 and PIWIL4.

Keywords::

• astrocyte energy metabolism
• astrocytes
• cocaine
• HIV-1 Tat
• piRNA
• piRNA clusters
• small RNA sequencing
• target genes

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/epi-2021-0252

Financial&competing interests disclosure

The present study was supported by grants from the NIH/National Institute of Drug Abuse: R01 DA044872 to S Thangavel. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations.

Additional information

Funding

The present study was supported by grants from the NIH/National Institute of Drug Abuse: R01 DA044872 to S Thangavel. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.