ABSTRACT
Oligodendrocytes are the most abundant type of glial cell to be found in adult central nervous system (CNS) white matter. The oligodendrocyte came under scrutiny in HIV infection when it was recognised relatively early on in the investigation of the AIDS dementia complex that myelin damage is one of the most readily observable features of the brain in HIV-infected subjects. In HIV myelopathy there is vacuolation and demyelination in the white matter of the spinal cord, particularly marked in lateral column white matter. All cell types in the CNS appear to be susceptible to infection but oligodendrocytes are the principal targets. There is no evidence to suggest that oligodendrocytes may modulate CNS HIV infection. Secreted products of HIV in macrophages/microglia cells have cytotoxic effect. Finally, on the topic of the molecular basis of cell-cell interactions, mention should be made of a possible mechanism by which macrophage production of neopterins in the CNS may damage myelin.
