Microglial content-dependent inhibitory effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on murine retroviral infection of glial cells.

Jennifer T Malon, Eliza Grlickova-Duzevik, James Vaughn, Holly Beaulac, Tyler R Vunk, Ling Cao

Index: J. Neuroimmunol. 279 , 64-70, (2015)

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Abstract

C57BL/6 (B6) mice develop peripheral neuropathy post-LP-BM5 infection, a murine model of HIV-1 infection, along with the up-regulation of select spinal cord cytokines. We investigated if calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) contributed to the development of peripheral neuropathy by stimulating glial responses. An increased expression of lumbar spinal cord CGRP was observed in vivo, post-LP-BM5 infection. Consequently, in vitro CGRP co-treatments led to a microglial content-dependent attenuation of viral loads in spinal cord mixed glia infected with selected doses of LP-BM5. This inhibition was neither caused by the loss of glia nor induced via the direct inhibition of LP-BM5 by CGRP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.