Recent study reveals that CCR5 activation by HIV proteins could contribute to cognitive deficits

Monday 20 February 2017

In a recent study published in the journal eLife, scientists from Cardiff University, UK and the University of California, US reported that a mouse model with better memory lacked a type of protein called the C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5).

Previous findings have underlined the role of CCR5 in inflammatory responses and in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Indeed, HIV can bind and activate CCR5 to infect immune cells and create inflammation. It has also been shown that this protein could affect the brain and could be involved in AIDS-related dementia.

In the published study, the researchers revealed an important suppressor role for CCR5 in learning and memory. The scientists demonstrated that animals with better learning and memory lacked the CCR5 protein, while the overexpression of this receptor causes learning and memory deficits.

Cardiff University’s Professor Kevin Fox, a senior author on the paper, explained: “Armed with the new knowledge that the CCR5 protein in neurons affects learning and plays a major role in AIDS-related dementia, we can now look at ways to suppress it for treatment of the disease and investigate whether its reduction can also benefit other forms of dementia and even aid recovery for stroke victims.”

The original research paper, “CCR5 is a suppressor for cortical plasticity and hippocampal learning and memory” was published in eLife on 20 December 2016.

https://elifesciences.org/content/5/e20985