Philippe V Afonso, Simona Ozden, Marie-Christine Cumont, Danielle Seilhean, Luis Cartier, Payam Rezaie, Sarah Mason, Sophie Lambert, Michel Huerre, Antoine Gessain, Pierre-Olivier Couraud, Claudine Pique, Pierre-Emmanuel Ceccaldi, Ignacio A Romero
The blood-brain barrier (BBB), which forms the interface between the blood and the cerebral parenchyma, has been shown to be disrupted during retroviral-associated neuromyelopathies. Human T Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV-1) Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with BBB breakdown. The BBB is composed of three cell types: endothelial cells, pericytes and astrocytes. Although astrocytes have been shown to be infected by HTLV-1, until now, little was known about the susceptibility of BBB endothelial cells to HTLV-1 infection and the impact of such an infection on BBB function...
November 2008: PLoS Pathogens