Proteomic analyses of methamphetamine (METH)-induced differential protein expression by immature dendritic cells (IDC)

In the US, the increase in methamphetamine (METH) use has been associated with increased human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection. Dendritic cells (DC) are the first line of defense against HIV-1. DC play a critical role in harboring HIV-1 and facilitate the infection of neighboring T cells. However, the role of METH on HIV-1 infectivity and the expression of the proteome of immature dendritic cells (IDC) has not been elucidated. We hypothesize that METH modulates the expression of a number of proteins by IDC that foster the immunopathogenesis of HIV-1 infection. We utilized LTR amplification, p24 antigen assay and the proteomic method of difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) combined with protein identification through high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) to analyze the effects of METH on HIV-1 infectivity (HIV-1 IIIB; CXCR4-tropic, X4 strain) and the proteomic profile of IDC. Our results demonstrate that METH potentiates HIV-1 replication in IDC. Furthermore, METH significantly differentially regulates the expression of several proteins including CXCR3, protein disulfide isomerase, procathepsin B, peroxiredoxin and galectin-1. Identification of unique, METH-induced proteins may help to develop novel markers for diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic targeting in METH using subjects.