Protocol for Detection of HIV-Tat Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid by a Sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transactivator of transcription (Tat) is a virally produced protein that is required for efficient viral replication. Once formed inside an infected cell, Tat is secreted into the extracellular space where it has pathophysiological consequences on cells it interacts with. Tat has been demonstrated to be neurotoxic and is produced even under the pressures of anti-retroviral therapy; therefore Tat is suspected to contribute to the development of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. In this chapter, we describe a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay protocol for the detection of Tat from cerebrospinal fluid samples.