Vascular etiology is the second most prevalent cause of cognitive impairment globally.Endothelin-1,which is produced and secreted by endothelial cells and astrocytes,is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke.However...Vascular etiology is the second most prevalent cause of cognitive impairment globally.Endothelin-1,which is produced and secreted by endothelial cells and astrocytes,is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke.However,the way in which changes in astrocytic endothelin-1 lead to poststroke cognitive deficits following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion is not well understood.Here,using mice in which astrocytic endothelin-1 was overexpressed,we found that the selective overexpression of endothelin-1 by astrocytic cells led to ischemic stroke-related dementia(1 hour of ischemia;7 days,28 days,or 3 months of reperfusion).We also revealed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression contributed to the role of neural stem cell proliferation but impaired neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus after middle cerebral artery occlusion.Comprehensive proteome profiles and western blot analysis confirmed that levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and peroxiredoxin 6,which were differentially expressed in the brain,were significantly increased in mice with astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression in comparison with wild-type mice 28 days after ischemic stroke.Moreover,the levels of the enriched differentially expressed proteins were closely related to lipid metabolism,as indicated by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry nontargeted metabolite profiling of brain tissues showed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression altered lipid metabolism products such as glycerol phosphatidylcholine,sphingomyelin,and phosphatidic acid.Overall,this study demonstrates that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression can impair hippocampal neurogenesis and that it is correlated with lipid metabolism in poststroke cognitive dysfunction.展开更多
Neuron-astrocyte interactions are vital for the brain’s connectome.Understanding astrocyte activities is crucial for comprehending the complex neural network,particularly the population-level functions of neurons in ...Neuron-astrocyte interactions are vital for the brain’s connectome.Understanding astrocyte activities is crucial for comprehending the complex neural network,particularly the population-level functions of neurons in different cortical states and associated behaviors in mammals.Studies on animal sleep and wakefulness have revealed distinct cortical synchrony patterns between neurons.Astrocytes,outnumbering neurons by nearly fivefold,support and regulate neuronal and synaptic function.Recent research on astrocyte activation during cortical state transitions has emphasized the influence of norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter and calcium waves as key components of ion channel signaling.This summary focuses on a few recent studies investigating astrocyte-neuron interactions in mouse models during sleep,wakefulness,and arousal levels,exploring the involvement of noradrenaline signaling,ion channels,and glutamatergic signaling in different cortical states.These findings highlight the significant impact of astrocytes on large-scale neuronal networks,influencing brain activity and responsiveness.Targeting astrocytic signaling pathways shows promise for treating sleep disorders and arousal dysregulation.More research is needed to understand astrocytic calcium signaling in different brain regions and its implications for dysregulated brain states,requiring future human studies to comprehensively investigate neuron-astrocyte interactions and pave the way for therapeutic interventions in sleep-and arousal-related disorders.展开更多
Alzheimer's disease(AD)is characterized by complex etiology,long-lasting pathogenesis,and celltype-specific alterations.Currently,there is no cure for AD,emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive understandi...Alzheimer's disease(AD)is characterized by complex etiology,long-lasting pathogenesis,and celltype-specific alterations.Currently,there is no cure for AD,emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of cell-specific pathology.Astrocytes,principal homeostatic cells of the central nervous system,are key players in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases,including AD.Cellular models greatly facilitate the investigation of cell-specific pathological alterations and the dissection of molecular mechanisms and pathways.Tumor-derived and immortalized astrocytic cell lines,alongside the emerging technology of adult induced pluripotent stem cells,are widely used to study cellular dysfunction in AD.Surprisingly,no stable cell lines were available from genetic mouse AD models.Recently,we established immortalized hippocampal astroglial cell lines from amyloid-βprecursor protein/presenilin-1/Tau triple-transgenic(3xTg)-AD mice(denominated as wild type(WT)-and 3Tg-iAstro cells)using retrovirus-mediated transduction of simian virus 40 large T-antigen and propagation without clonal selection,thereby maintaining natural heterogeneity of primary cultures.Several groups have successfully used 3Tg-iAstro cells for single-cell and omics approaches to study astrocytic AD-related alterations of calcium signaling,mitochondrial dysfunctions,disproteostasis,altered homeostatic and signaling support to neurons,and blood-brain barrier models.Here we provide a comparative overview of the most used models to study astrocytes in vitro,such as primary culture,tumor-derived cell lines,immortalized astroglial cell lines,and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocytes.We conclude that immortalized WT-and 3Tg-iAstro cells provide a noncompetitive but complementary,low-cost,easy-to-handle,and versatile cellular model for dissection of astrocyte-specific AD-related alterations and preclinical drug discovery.展开更多
Spinal cord injury causes accumulation of a large number of leukocytes at the lesion site where they contribute to excessive inflammation.Overproduced chemokines are responsible for the migratory process of the leukoc...Spinal cord injury causes accumulation of a large number of leukocytes at the lesion site where they contribute to excessive inflammation.Overproduced chemokines are responsible for the migratory process of the leukocytes,but the regulatory mechanism underlying the production of chemokines from resident cells of the spinal cord has not been fully elucidated.We examined the protein levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor and chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 in a spinal cord contusion model at different time points following spinal cord injury.The elevation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor at the lesion site coincided with the increase of chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 abundance in astrocytes.Stimulation of primary cultured astrocytes with different concentrations of macrophage migration inhibitory factor recombinant protein induced chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 production from the cells,and the macrophage migration inhibitory factor inhibitor 4-iodo-6-phenylpyrimidine attenuated the stimulatory effect.Further investigation into the underlying mechanism on macrophage migration inhibitory factor-mediated astrocytic production of chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 revealed that macrophage migration inhibitory factor activated intracellular JNK signaling through binding with CD74 receptor.Administration of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor inhibitor 4-iodo-6-phenylpyrimidine following spinal cord injury resulted in the reduction of chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2-recruited microglia/macrophages at the lesion site and remarkably improved the hindlimb locomotor function of rats.Our results have provided insights into the functions of astrocyte-activated chemokines in the recruitment of leukocytes and may be beneficial to develop interventions targeting chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 for neuroinflammation after spinal cord injury.展开更多
Dynamic structuring and functions of perisynaptic astrocytic processes and of the gap junction network within a single astrocyte are outlined. Motile perisynaptic astrocytic processes are generating microdomains. By c...Dynamic structuring and functions of perisynaptic astrocytic processes and of the gap junction network within a single astrocyte are outlined. Motile perisynaptic astrocytic processes are generating microdomains. By contacting and retracting of their endfeet an appropriate receptor pattern is selected that modulates the astrocytic receptor sheath for its activation by neurotransmitter substances, ions, transporters, etc. This synaptic information processing occurs in three distinct time scales of milliseconds to seconds, seconds to minutes, hours or longer. Simultaneously, the interconnecting gap junctions are activated by building a network within the astrocyte. Frequently activated gap junction cycles become embodied in gap junction plaques. The gap junction network formation and gap junction plaques are governed and controlled in the same time scales as synaptic information processing. Biomimetic computer systems may represent an alternative to limitations of brainphysiological research. The model proposed allows the interpretation of affective psychoses and schizophrenia as time disorders basically determined by a shortened, prolonged or lacking time scale of synaptic information processing.展开更多
Microsatellite instability (MSI) is used as a molecular marker for defective DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes.We report here alterations of MSI in 15 malignant astrocytomas (WHO grade Ⅲ) and glioblastomas (GBM; WHO gr...Microsatellite instability (MSI) is used as a molecular marker for defective DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes.We report here alterations of MSI in 15 malignant astrocytomas (WHO grade Ⅲ) and glioblastomas (GBM; WHO grade Ⅳ) of pediatric patients (2-21 years) and 12 GBM from adults (44-68 years) by comparative analysis of BAT25/BAT26 loci and 10 other microsatellite markers. High-level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) occurred in 4 of the 15 pediatric cases (26.7%) and in 1 of the 12 adult GBM cases (8.3%). Low-level mi-展开更多
Astrocytes, the major component of blood-brain barriers, have presented paradoxical profiles after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in vivo and in vitro. Our previous study showed that sevoflurane preconditioning imp...Astrocytes, the major component of blood-brain barriers, have presented paradoxical profiles after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in vivo and in vitro. Our previous study showed that sevoflurane preconditioning improved the integrity of blood-brain barriers after ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats. This led us to investigate the effects of sevoflurane preconditioning on the astrocytic dynamics in ischemia and reperfusion rats, in order to explore astrocytic cell-based mechanisms of sevoflurane preconditioning. In the present study, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and Garcia behavioral scores were utilized to evaluate cerebral infarction and neurological outcome from day 1 to day 3 after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery. Using immunofluorescent staining, we found that sevoflurane preconditioning substantially promoted the astrocytic activation and migration from the penumbra to the infarct with microglial activation from day 3 after middle cerebral artery occlusion. The formation of astrocytic scaffolds facilitated neuroblasts migrating from the subventricular zone to the lesion sites on day 14 after injury. Neural networks increased in the infarct of sevoflurane preconditioned rats, consistent with decreased infarct volume and improved neurological scores after ischemia and reperfusion injury. These findings demonstrate that sevoflurane preconditioning confers neuroprotection, not only by accelerating astrocytic spatial and temporal dynamics, but also providing astrocytic scaffolds for neuroblasts migration to ischemic regions, which facilitates neural reconstruction after brain ischemia.展开更多
Acupuncture is a medical treatment that has been widely pra cticed in China for over 3000 years,yet the neural mechanisms of acupuncture are not fully understood.We hypothesized that neurons and astrocytes act indepen...Acupuncture is a medical treatment that has been widely pra cticed in China for over 3000 years,yet the neural mechanisms of acupuncture are not fully understood.We hypothesized that neurons and astrocytes act independently and synergistically under acupuncture stimulation.To investigate this,we used two-photon in vivo calcium reco rding to observe the effects of acupuncture stimulation at ST36(Zusanli)in mice.Acupuncture stimulation in peripheral acupoints potentiated calcium signals of pyramidal neurons and astrocytes in the somatosensory cortex and resulted in late-onset calcium transients in astrocytes.Chemogenetic inhibition of neurons augmented the astrocytic activity.These findings suggest that acupuncture activates neuronal and astrocytic activity in the somatosensory co rtex and provide evidence for the involvement of both neurons and astrocytes in acupuncture treatment.展开更多
Alcohol use disorder(AUD) is one of the most widespread neuropsychiatric conditions, having a significant health and socioeconomic impact. According to the 2014 World Health Organization global status report on alcoho...Alcohol use disorder(AUD) is one of the most widespread neuropsychiatric conditions, having a significant health and socioeconomic impact. According to the 2014 World Health Organization global status report on alcohol and health, the harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 5.9% of all deaths worldwide. Additionally, 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury is ascribed to alcohol(measured in disability adjusted life years, or disability adjusted life years). Although the neurobiological basis of AUD is highly complex, the corticostriatal circuit contributes significantly to the development of addictive behaviors. In-depth investigation into the changes of the neurotransmitters in this circuit, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyricacid, and glutamate, and their corresponding neuronal receptors in AUD and other addictions enable us to understand the molecular basis of AUD. However, these discoveries have also revealed a dearth of knowledge regarding contributions from nonneuronal sources. Astrocytes, though intimately involved in synaptic function, had until recently been noticeably overlooked in their potential role in AUD. One major function of the astrocyte is protecting neurons from excitotoxicity by removing glutamate from the synapse via excitatory amino acid transporter type 2. The importance of this key transporter in addiction, as well as ethanol withdrawal, has recently become evident, though its regulation is still under investigation. Historically, pharmacotherapy for AUD has been focused on altering the activity of neuronal glutamate receptors. However, recent clinical evidence has supported the animal-based findings, showing that regulating glutamate homeostasis contributes to successful management of recovery from AUD.展开更多
Astrocytes,the multi-functional glial cells with the most abundant population in the brain,integrate information across their territories to regulate neuronal synaptic and cerebrovascular activities.Astrocytic calcium...Astrocytes,the multi-functional glial cells with the most abundant population in the brain,integrate information across their territories to regulate neuronal synaptic and cerebrovascular activities.Astrocytic calcium(Ca^(2+))signaling is the major readout of cellular functional state of astrocytes.The conventional two-photon in vivo imaging usually focuses on a single horizontal focal plane to capture the astrocytic Ca^(2+)signals,which leaves>80%spatial information undetected.To fully probe the Ca^(2+)activity across the whole astrocytic territory,we developed a pipeline for imaging and visualizing volumetric astrocytic Ca^(2+)time-lapse images.With the pipeline,we discovered a new signal distribution pattern from three-dimensional(3D)astrocytic Ca^(2+)imaging data of mice under isoflurane anesthetic states.The tools developed in this study enable a better understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of astrocytic activity in 3D space.展开更多
BACKGROUND:Previous studies have demonstrated that aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays a key role in the formation and resolution of brain edema.However,the molecular mechanisms and role of AQP4 in hypoxia-ischemia-induced brain...BACKGROUND:Previous studies have demonstrated that aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays a key role in the formation and resolution of brain edema.However,the molecular mechanisms and role of AQP4 in hypoxia-ischemia-induced brain edema remain poorly understood.OBJECTIVE:To establish a newborn animal model of astrocytic oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction,to observe the correlation between AQP4 and cellular volume,and to investigate the role of AQP4 in the development of brain edema following oxygen deprivation and reintroduction.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A comparative experiment was performed at the Experimental Center of West China Second University Hospital between October 2007 and April 2009.MATERIALS:Astrocytes were derived from the neocortex of Sprague Dawley rats aged 3 days.METHODS:Astrocytes were incubated in glucose/serum-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium,followed by 1% oxygen for 6 hours.Finally,oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction models were successfully established.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were used to measure expression of AQP4 mRNA and protein in cultured rat astrocytes following oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction.Astrocytic cellular volume,as determined by [3H]-3-O-methyl-D-glucose,was used to represent the extent of astrocytic swelling.RESULTS:During oxygen-glucose deprivation,AQP4 mRNA and protein expression gradually decreased in astrocytes,whereas cellular volume increased in a time-dependent manner (P < 0.01).Following oxygen-glucose reintroduction,AQP4 mRNA and protein expression was upregulated,peaked at day 7,and then gradually decreased,but still higher than normal levels (P < 0.05).However,cellular volume gradually decreased (P < 0.01),and then reached normal levels at day 7.CONCLUSION:AQP4 expression highly correlated with cellular volume changes,suggesting that AQP4 played an important role in modulating brain water transport in an astrocytic oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction model.展开更多
HIV-associated dementia(HAD)is a public health problem and is particularly prevalent in drug abusers.The neuropathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)infection involves a complex cascade of inflammatory event...HIV-associated dementia(HAD)is a public health problem and is particularly prevalent in drug abusers.The neuropathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)infection involves a complex cascade of inflammatory events,including monocyte/macrophage infiltration in the brain,glial immune activation and release of neurotoxic substances.In these events,astrocytic-derived monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1)plays an important role,whose release is elevated by HIV transactivator of transcription(HIV tat)and could be further elevated by opiates.This review will also consider some critical factors and events in MCP-1 enhancement induced by the interactions of opiate and HIV tat,including the mediating role of mu opioid receptor(MOR)and CCR2 as well as the possible signal transduction pathways within the cells.Finally,it will make some future perspectives on the exact pathways,new receptors and target cells,and the vulnerability to neurodegeneration with HIV and opiates.展开更多
The repair of injured tissue is a highly complex process that involves cell prolife ration,differentiation,and migration.Cell migration requires the dismantling of intercellular contacts in the injured zone and their ...The repair of injured tissue is a highly complex process that involves cell prolife ration,differentiation,and migration.Cell migration requires the dismantling of intercellular contacts in the injured zone and their subsequent reconstitution in the wounded area.Urokinase-type plasminogen activator(u PA)is a serine proteinase found in multiple cell types including endothelial cells,smooth muscle cells,monocytes,and macrophages.A substantial body of experimental evidence with different cell types outside the central nervous system indicates that the binding of uPA to its receptor(uPAR)on the cell surface prompts cell migration by inducing plasmin-mediated degradation of the extracellular matrix.In contrast,although uPA and uPAR are abundantly found in astrocytes and u PA binding to uPAR triggers astrocytic activation,it is unknown if uPA also plays a role in astrocytic migration.Neuronal cadherin is a member of cell adhesion proteins pivotal for the formation of cell-cell conta cts between astrocytes.More specifically,while the extracellular domain of neuronal cadherin interacts with the extracellular domain of neuronal cadherin in neighboring cells,its intracellular domain binds toβ-catenin,which in turn links the complex to the actin cytos keleton.Glycogen synthase kinase 3βis a serine-threonine kinase that prevents the cytoplasmic accumulation ofβ-catenin by inducing its phosphorylation at Ser33,Ser37,and Ser41,thus activating a sequence of events that lead to its proteasomal degradation.The data discussed in this perspective indicate that astrocytes release u PA following a mechanical injury,and that binding of this u PA to uPAR on the cell membrane induces the detachment ofβ-catenin from the intracellular domain of neuronal cadherin by triggering its extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2-mediated phosphorylation at Tyr650.Remarkably,this is followed by the cytoplasmic accumulation ofβ-catenin because uPA-induced extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 activation also phosphorylates lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 at Ser1490,which in turn,by recruiting glycogen synthase kinase 3βto its intracellular domain abrogates its effect onβ-catenin.The cytoplasmic accumulation ofβ-catenin is followed by its nuclear translocation,where it induces the expression of uPAR,which is required for the migration of astrocytes from the injured edge into the wounded area.展开更多
Reactive astrogliosis has been implicated in the failure of axonal regeneration in adult mammalian Central Nervous System (CNS). It is our hypothesis that inflammatory cytokines act upon astrocytes to alter their bioc...Reactive astrogliosis has been implicated in the failure of axonal regeneration in adult mammalian Central Nervous System (CNS). It is our hypothesis that inflammatory cytokines act upon astrocytes to alter their biochemical and physical properties, which may in turn be responsible for the failure of neuronal regeneration. We have therefore examined the effect of tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) on the ability of astrocytes to support the survival of the cortical neurons and the growth of the neurites. Mouse astrocytes and cortical neuronal cultures were prepared. It was observed that when neurons were cultured in absence of astrocytes only a few of them grew and survived only for 5-6 days. These neurons had small cell bodies and few, short neurites. However, when the same numbers of neurons were cultured on the top of astrocytes, more neurons grew and survived up to 16-18 days. They had bigger cell bodies and many long branched neurites that formed anestamosing networks. The neurons then coalesced and the neurites formed thick bundles. When the same numbers of neurons were grown on the top of astrocytes pre-treated with TNF-α, few neurons survived up to 13 days. The neurites of the survived neurons were shorter than neurites of neurons grown on normal astrocytes and did not form bundles. In addition, TNF-α stimulated the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by astrocytes. These results support that the pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α modulates the gliosis and that the astrocytic cell supports neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth.展开更多
Alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2(ASCT2)is reported to participate in the progression of tumors and metabolic diseases.It is also considered to play a crucial role in the glutamate-glutamine shuttle of neuroglial ...Alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2(ASCT2)is reported to participate in the progression of tumors and metabolic diseases.It is also considered to play a crucial role in the glutamate-glutamine shuttle of neuroglial network.However,it remains unclear the involvement of ASCT2 in neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease(PD).In this study,we demonstrated that high expression of ASCT2 in the plasma samples of PD patients and the midbrain of MPTP mouse models is positively correlated with dyskinesia.We further illustrated that ASCT2 expressed in astrocytes rather than neurons significantly upregulated in response to either MPP+or LPS/ATP challenge.Genetic ablation of astrocytic ASCT2 alleviated the neuroinflammation and rescued dopaminergic(DA)neuron damage in PD models in vitro and in vivo.Notably,the binding of ASCT2 to NLRP3 aggravates astrocytic inflammasometriggered neuroinflammation.Then a panel of 2513 FDA-approved drugs were performed via virtual molecular screening based on the target ASCT2 and we succeed in getting the drug talniflumate.It is validated talniflumate impedes astrocytic inflammation and prevents degeneration of DA neurons in PD models.Collectively,these findings reveal the role of astrocytic ASCT2 in the pathogenesis of PD,broaden the therapeutic strategy and provide a promising candidate drug for PD treatment.展开更多
Parkinsonism by unilateral,intranigralβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside administration in rats is distinguished in that theα-synuclein insult begins unilaterally but spreads bilaterally and increases in severity over time,...Parkinsonism by unilateral,intranigralβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside administration in rats is distinguished in that theα-synuclein insult begins unilaterally but spreads bilaterally and increases in severity over time,thus replicating several clinical features of Parkinson’s disease,a typicalα-synucleinopathy.As Nurr1 repressesα-synuclein,we evaluated whether unilateral transfected of rNurr1-V5 transgene via neurotensin-polyplex to the substantia nigra on day 30 after unilateralβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside lesion could affect bilateral neuropathology and sensorimotor deficits on day 30 post-transfection.This study found that rNurr1-V5 expression but not that of the green fluorescent protein(the negative control)reducedβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside-induced neuropathology.Accordingly,a bilateral increase in tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells and arborization occurred in the substantia nigra and increased tyrosine hydroxylase-positive ramifications in the striatum.In addition,tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells displayed less senescence markerβ-galactosidase and more neuron-cytoskeleton markerβIII-tubulin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.A significant decrease in activated microglia(positive to ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1)and neurotoxic astrocytes(positive to glial fibrillary acidic protein and complement component 3)and increased neurotrophic astrocytes(positive to glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100 calcium-binding protein A10)also occurred in the substantia nigra.These effects followed the bilateral reduction inα-synuclein aggregates in the nigrostriatal system,improving sensorimotor behavior.Our results show that unilateral rNurr1-V5 transgene expression in nigral dopaminergic neurons mitigates bilateral neurodegeneration(senescence and loss of neuron-cytoskeleton and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells),neuroinflammation(activated microglia,neurotoxic astrocytes),α-synuclein aggregation,and sensorimotor deficits.Increased neurotrophic astrocytes and brain-derived neurotrophic factor can mediate the rNurr1-V5 effect,supporting its potential clinical use in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.展开更多
Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system;they participate in crucial biological processes,maintain brain structure,and regulate nervous system function.Exosomes are cell-derived extra...Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system;they participate in crucial biological processes,maintain brain structure,and regulate nervous system function.Exosomes are cell-derived extracellular vesicles containing various bioactive molecules including proteins,peptides,nucleotides,and lipids secreted from their cellular sources.Increasing evidence shows that exosomes participate in a communication network in the nervous system,in which astrocyte-derived exosomes play important roles.In this review,we have summarized the effects of exosomes targeting astrocytes and the astrocyte-derived exosomes targeting other cell types in the central nervous system.We also discuss the potential research directions of the exosome-based communication network in the nervous system.The exosome-based intercellular communication focused on astrocytes is of great significance to the biological and/or pathological processes in different conditions in the brain.New strategies may be developed for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders by focusing on astrocytes as the central cells and utilizing exosomes as communication mediators.展开更多
Spinal cord injury can be traumatic or non-traumatic in origin,with the latter rising in incidence and prevalence with the aging demographics of our society.Moreove r,as the global population ages,individuals with co-...Spinal cord injury can be traumatic or non-traumatic in origin,with the latter rising in incidence and prevalence with the aging demographics of our society.Moreove r,as the global population ages,individuals with co-existent degenerative spinal pathology comprise a growing number of traumatic spinal cord injury cases,especially involving the cervical spinal cord.This makes recovery and treatment approaches particula rly challenging as age and comorbidities may limit regenerative capacity.For these reasons,it is critical to better understand the complex milieu of spinal cord injury lesion pathobiology and the ensuing inflammatory response.This review discusses microglia-specific purinergic and cytokine signaling pathways,as well as microglial modulation of synaptic stability and plasticity after injury.Further,we evaluate the role of astrocytes in neurotransmission and calcium signaling,as well as their border-forming response to neural lesions.Both the inflammatory and reparative roles of these cells have eluded our complete understanding and remain key therapeutic targets due to their extensive structural and functional roles in the nervous system.Recent advances have shed light on the roles of glia in neurotransmission and reparative injury responses that will change how interventions are directed.Understanding key processes and existing knowledge gaps will allow future research to effectively target these cells and harness their regenerative potential.展开更多
Autophagy is a multifaceted cellular process that not only maintains the homeostatic and adaptive responses of the brain but is also dynamically involved in the regulation of neural cell generation,maturation,and surv...Autophagy is a multifaceted cellular process that not only maintains the homeostatic and adaptive responses of the brain but is also dynamically involved in the regulation of neural cell generation,maturation,and survival.Autophagy facilities the utilization of energy and the microenvironment for developing neural stem cells.Autophagy arbitrates structural and functional remodeling during the cell differentiation process.Autophagy also plays an indispensable role in the maintenance of stemness and homeostasis in neural stem cells during essential brain physiology and also in the instigation and progression of diseases.Only recently,studies have begun to shed light on autophagy regulation in glia(microglia,astrocyte,and oligodendrocyte)in the brain.Glial cells have attained relatively less consideration despite their unquestioned influence on various aspects of neural development,synaptic function,brain metabolism,cellular debris clearing,and restoration of damaged or injured tissues.Thus,this review composes pertinent information regarding the involvement of autophagy in neural stem cells and glial regulation and the role of this connexion in normal brain functions,neurodevelopmental disorders,and neurodegenerative diseases.This review will provide insight into establishing a concrete strategic approach for investigating pathological mechanisms and developing therapies for brain diseases.展开更多
The glucagon-like peptide 1 is a pleiotropic hormone that has potent insulinotropic effects and is key in treating metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.Glucagon-like peptide 1 exerts its effects by activati...The glucagon-like peptide 1 is a pleiotropic hormone that has potent insulinotropic effects and is key in treating metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.Glucagon-like peptide 1 exerts its effects by activating a membrane receptor identified in many tissues,including diffe rent brain regions.Glucagon-like peptide 1 activates several signaling pathways related to neuroprotection,like the support of cell growth/survival,enhancement promotion of synapse formation,autophagy,and inhibition of the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines,microglial activation,and apoptosis during neural morphogenesis.The glial cells,including astrocytes and microglia,maintain metabolic homeostasis and defe nse against pathogens in the central nervous system.After brain insult,microglia are the first cells to respond,followed by reactive astrocytosis.These activated cells produce proinflammato ry mediators like cytokines or chemokines to react to the insult.Furthermore,under these circumstances,mic roglia can become chro nically inflammatory by losing their homeostatic molecular signature and,consequently,their functions during many diseases.Several processes promote the development of neurological disorders and influence their pathological evolution:like the formation of protein aggregates,the accumulation of abnormally modified cellular constituents,the formation and release by injured neurons or synapses of molecules that can dampen neural function,and,of critical impo rtance,the dysregulation of inflammato ry control mechanisms.The glucagonlike peptide 1 receptor agonist emerges as a critical tool in treating brain-related inflammatory pathologies,restoring brain cell homeostasis under inflammatory conditions,modulating mic roglia activity,and decreasing the inflammato ry response.This review summarizes recent advances linked to the anti-inflammato ry prope rties of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor activation in the brain related to multiple sclerosis,Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease,vascular dementia,or chronic migraine.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81303115,81774042 (both to XC)the Pearl River S&T Nova Program of Guangzhou,No.201806010025 (to XC)+3 种基金the Specialty Program of Guangdong Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine of China,No.YN2018ZD07 (to XC)the Natural Science Foundatior of Guangdong Province of China,No.2023A1515012174 (to JL)the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou of China,No.20210201 0268 (to XC),20210201 0339 (to JS)Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research on Emergency in TCM,Nos.2018-75,2019-140 (to JS)
文摘Vascular etiology is the second most prevalent cause of cognitive impairment globally.Endothelin-1,which is produced and secreted by endothelial cells and astrocytes,is implicated in the pathogenesis of stroke.However,the way in which changes in astrocytic endothelin-1 lead to poststroke cognitive deficits following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion is not well understood.Here,using mice in which astrocytic endothelin-1 was overexpressed,we found that the selective overexpression of endothelin-1 by astrocytic cells led to ischemic stroke-related dementia(1 hour of ischemia;7 days,28 days,or 3 months of reperfusion).We also revealed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression contributed to the role of neural stem cell proliferation but impaired neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus after middle cerebral artery occlusion.Comprehensive proteome profiles and western blot analysis confirmed that levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and peroxiredoxin 6,which were differentially expressed in the brain,were significantly increased in mice with astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression in comparison with wild-type mice 28 days after ischemic stroke.Moreover,the levels of the enriched differentially expressed proteins were closely related to lipid metabolism,as indicated by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry nontargeted metabolite profiling of brain tissues showed that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression altered lipid metabolism products such as glycerol phosphatidylcholine,sphingomyelin,and phosphatidic acid.Overall,this study demonstrates that astrocytic endothelin-1 overexpression can impair hippocampal neurogenesis and that it is correlated with lipid metabolism in poststroke cognitive dysfunction.
基金supported by the Corbett Estate Fund(62285-531021-41800,to EW)the Helen Vosburg McCrillus Plummer and Robert Edward Lee Plummer,Jr.Chair Fund(to JHH).
文摘Neuron-astrocyte interactions are vital for the brain’s connectome.Understanding astrocyte activities is crucial for comprehending the complex neural network,particularly the population-level functions of neurons in different cortical states and associated behaviors in mammals.Studies on animal sleep and wakefulness have revealed distinct cortical synchrony patterns between neurons.Astrocytes,outnumbering neurons by nearly fivefold,support and regulate neuronal and synaptic function.Recent research on astrocyte activation during cortical state transitions has emphasized the influence of norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter and calcium waves as key components of ion channel signaling.This summary focuses on a few recent studies investigating astrocyte-neuron interactions in mouse models during sleep,wakefulness,and arousal levels,exploring the involvement of noradrenaline signaling,ion channels,and glutamatergic signaling in different cortical states.These findings highlight the significant impact of astrocytes on large-scale neuronal networks,influencing brain activity and responsiveness.Targeting astrocytic signaling pathways shows promise for treating sleep disorders and arousal dysregulation.More research is needed to understand astrocytic calcium signaling in different brain regions and its implications for dysregulated brain states,requiring future human studies to comprehensively investigate neuron-astrocyte interactions and pave the way for therapeutic interventions in sleep-and arousal-related disorders.
基金supported by fellowship to a grant from CRT Foundation,No.1393-2017(to LT)grants from the Fondazione Cariplo,Nos.2013-0795(to AAG),2014-1094(to DL)grants from The Universitàdel Piemonte Orientale,Nos.FAR-2016(to DL),FAR-2019(to DL)。
文摘Alzheimer's disease(AD)is characterized by complex etiology,long-lasting pathogenesis,and celltype-specific alterations.Currently,there is no cure for AD,emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of cell-specific pathology.Astrocytes,principal homeostatic cells of the central nervous system,are key players in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases,including AD.Cellular models greatly facilitate the investigation of cell-specific pathological alterations and the dissection of molecular mechanisms and pathways.Tumor-derived and immortalized astrocytic cell lines,alongside the emerging technology of adult induced pluripotent stem cells,are widely used to study cellular dysfunction in AD.Surprisingly,no stable cell lines were available from genetic mouse AD models.Recently,we established immortalized hippocampal astroglial cell lines from amyloid-βprecursor protein/presenilin-1/Tau triple-transgenic(3xTg)-AD mice(denominated as wild type(WT)-and 3Tg-iAstro cells)using retrovirus-mediated transduction of simian virus 40 large T-antigen and propagation without clonal selection,thereby maintaining natural heterogeneity of primary cultures.Several groups have successfully used 3Tg-iAstro cells for single-cell and omics approaches to study astrocytic AD-related alterations of calcium signaling,mitochondrial dysfunctions,disproteostasis,altered homeostatic and signaling support to neurons,and blood-brain barrier models.Here we provide a comparative overview of the most used models to study astrocytes in vitro,such as primary culture,tumor-derived cell lines,immortalized astroglial cell lines,and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocytes.We conclude that immortalized WT-and 3Tg-iAstro cells provide a noncompetitive but complementary,low-cost,easy-to-handle,and versatile cellular model for dissection of astrocyte-specific AD-related alterations and preclinical drug discovery.
基金supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,No.2020M681689(to YMH)the Basic Scientific Research Projects of Nantong,Nos.JC2020015(to HX)and JC2020041(to YMH)。
文摘Spinal cord injury causes accumulation of a large number of leukocytes at the lesion site where they contribute to excessive inflammation.Overproduced chemokines are responsible for the migratory process of the leukocytes,but the regulatory mechanism underlying the production of chemokines from resident cells of the spinal cord has not been fully elucidated.We examined the protein levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor and chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 in a spinal cord contusion model at different time points following spinal cord injury.The elevation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor at the lesion site coincided with the increase of chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 abundance in astrocytes.Stimulation of primary cultured astrocytes with different concentrations of macrophage migration inhibitory factor recombinant protein induced chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 production from the cells,and the macrophage migration inhibitory factor inhibitor 4-iodo-6-phenylpyrimidine attenuated the stimulatory effect.Further investigation into the underlying mechanism on macrophage migration inhibitory factor-mediated astrocytic production of chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 revealed that macrophage migration inhibitory factor activated intracellular JNK signaling through binding with CD74 receptor.Administration of the macrophage migration inhibitory factor inhibitor 4-iodo-6-phenylpyrimidine following spinal cord injury resulted in the reduction of chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2-recruited microglia/macrophages at the lesion site and remarkably improved the hindlimb locomotor function of rats.Our results have provided insights into the functions of astrocyte-activated chemokines in the recruitment of leukocytes and may be beneficial to develop interventions targeting chemokine C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 for neuroinflammation after spinal cord injury.
文摘Dynamic structuring and functions of perisynaptic astrocytic processes and of the gap junction network within a single astrocyte are outlined. Motile perisynaptic astrocytic processes are generating microdomains. By contacting and retracting of their endfeet an appropriate receptor pattern is selected that modulates the astrocytic receptor sheath for its activation by neurotransmitter substances, ions, transporters, etc. This synaptic information processing occurs in three distinct time scales of milliseconds to seconds, seconds to minutes, hours or longer. Simultaneously, the interconnecting gap junctions are activated by building a network within the astrocyte. Frequently activated gap junction cycles become embodied in gap junction plaques. The gap junction network formation and gap junction plaques are governed and controlled in the same time scales as synaptic information processing. Biomimetic computer systems may represent an alternative to limitations of brainphysiological research. The model proposed allows the interpretation of affective psychoses and schizophrenia as time disorders basically determined by a shortened, prolonged or lacking time scale of synaptic information processing.
文摘Microsatellite instability (MSI) is used as a molecular marker for defective DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes.We report here alterations of MSI in 15 malignant astrocytomas (WHO grade Ⅲ) and glioblastomas (GBM; WHO grade Ⅳ) of pediatric patients (2-21 years) and 12 GBM from adults (44-68 years) by comparative analysis of BAT25/BAT26 loci and 10 other microsatellite markers. High-level microsatellite instability (MSI-H) occurred in 4 of the 15 pediatric cases (26.7%) and in 1 of the 12 adult GBM cases (8.3%). Low-level mi-
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81200937(to QY)
文摘Astrocytes, the major component of blood-brain barriers, have presented paradoxical profiles after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in vivo and in vitro. Our previous study showed that sevoflurane preconditioning improved the integrity of blood-brain barriers after ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats. This led us to investigate the effects of sevoflurane preconditioning on the astrocytic dynamics in ischemia and reperfusion rats, in order to explore astrocytic cell-based mechanisms of sevoflurane preconditioning. In the present study, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and Garcia behavioral scores were utilized to evaluate cerebral infarction and neurological outcome from day 1 to day 3 after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery. Using immunofluorescent staining, we found that sevoflurane preconditioning substantially promoted the astrocytic activation and migration from the penumbra to the infarct with microglial activation from day 3 after middle cerebral artery occlusion. The formation of astrocytic scaffolds facilitated neuroblasts migrating from the subventricular zone to the lesion sites on day 14 after injury. Neural networks increased in the infarct of sevoflurane preconditioned rats, consistent with decreased infarct volume and improved neurological scores after ischemia and reperfusion injury. These findings demonstrate that sevoflurane preconditioning confers neuroprotection, not only by accelerating astrocytic spatial and temporal dynamics, but also providing astrocytic scaffolds for neuroblasts migration to ischemic regions, which facilitates neural reconstruction after brain ischemia.
基金National Key Research and Development Program of China,No.2016YFC1306702(to KFS and LZ)the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81771455(to KFS)+1 种基金Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Province of China,No.2018B030334001(to KFS)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong of China,No.2019A1515011772(to LZ)。
文摘Acupuncture is a medical treatment that has been widely pra cticed in China for over 3000 years,yet the neural mechanisms of acupuncture are not fully understood.We hypothesized that neurons and astrocytes act independently and synergistically under acupuncture stimulation.To investigate this,we used two-photon in vivo calcium reco rding to observe the effects of acupuncture stimulation at ST36(Zusanli)in mice.Acupuncture stimulation in peripheral acupoints potentiated calcium signals of pyramidal neurons and astrocytes in the somatosensory cortex and resulted in late-onset calcium transients in astrocytes.Chemogenetic inhibition of neurons augmented the astrocytic activity.These findings suggest that acupuncture activates neuronal and astrocytic activity in the somatosensory co rtex and provide evidence for the involvement of both neurons and astrocytes in acupuncture treatment.
基金Supported by Mayo Graduate School,NIAAA,No.AA018779SC Johnson Genomics of Addiction Program,Ulm Family Foundation,Center for Individualized Medicine at MayoDavid Lehr Research Award from American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
文摘Alcohol use disorder(AUD) is one of the most widespread neuropsychiatric conditions, having a significant health and socioeconomic impact. According to the 2014 World Health Organization global status report on alcohol and health, the harmful use of alcohol is responsible for 5.9% of all deaths worldwide. Additionally, 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury is ascribed to alcohol(measured in disability adjusted life years, or disability adjusted life years). Although the neurobiological basis of AUD is highly complex, the corticostriatal circuit contributes significantly to the development of addictive behaviors. In-depth investigation into the changes of the neurotransmitters in this circuit, dopamine, gamma-aminobutyricacid, and glutamate, and their corresponding neuronal receptors in AUD and other addictions enable us to understand the molecular basis of AUD. However, these discoveries have also revealed a dearth of knowledge regarding contributions from nonneuronal sources. Astrocytes, though intimately involved in synaptic function, had until recently been noticeably overlooked in their potential role in AUD. One major function of the astrocyte is protecting neurons from excitotoxicity by removing glutamate from the synapse via excitatory amino acid transporter type 2. The importance of this key transporter in addiction, as well as ethanol withdrawal, has recently become evident, though its regulation is still under investigation. Historically, pharmacotherapy for AUD has been focused on altering the activity of neuronal glutamate receptors. However, recent clinical evidence has supported the animal-based findings, showing that regulating glutamate homeostasis contributes to successful management of recovery from AUD.
基金This study was supported in part by Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology(Grant No.20ZR1403500)the Shanghai Medical Research Council.
文摘Astrocytes,the multi-functional glial cells with the most abundant population in the brain,integrate information across their territories to regulate neuronal synaptic and cerebrovascular activities.Astrocytic calcium(Ca^(2+))signaling is the major readout of cellular functional state of astrocytes.The conventional two-photon in vivo imaging usually focuses on a single horizontal focal plane to capture the astrocytic Ca^(2+)signals,which leaves>80%spatial information undetected.To fully probe the Ca^(2+)activity across the whole astrocytic territory,we developed a pipeline for imaging and visualizing volumetric astrocytic Ca^(2+)time-lapse images.With the pipeline,we discovered a new signal distribution pattern from three-dimensional(3D)astrocytic Ca^(2+)imaging data of mice under isoflurane anesthetic states.The tools developed in this study enable a better understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of astrocytic activity in 3D space.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30825039,30973236,30872346,30770748Chinese Postdoctoral Training Grant,No. 20070420575+1 种基金Application Basic Research Foundation of Sichuan Province,No. 2008JY0131Youth Science and Technology Foundation of Sichuan Province,No. 07zq026-135
文摘BACKGROUND:Previous studies have demonstrated that aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays a key role in the formation and resolution of brain edema.However,the molecular mechanisms and role of AQP4 in hypoxia-ischemia-induced brain edema remain poorly understood.OBJECTIVE:To establish a newborn animal model of astrocytic oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction,to observe the correlation between AQP4 and cellular volume,and to investigate the role of AQP4 in the development of brain edema following oxygen deprivation and reintroduction.DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A comparative experiment was performed at the Experimental Center of West China Second University Hospital between October 2007 and April 2009.MATERIALS:Astrocytes were derived from the neocortex of Sprague Dawley rats aged 3 days.METHODS:Astrocytes were incubated in glucose/serum-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium,followed by 1% oxygen for 6 hours.Finally,oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction models were successfully established.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis were used to measure expression of AQP4 mRNA and protein in cultured rat astrocytes following oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction.Astrocytic cellular volume,as determined by [3H]-3-O-methyl-D-glucose,was used to represent the extent of astrocytic swelling.RESULTS:During oxygen-glucose deprivation,AQP4 mRNA and protein expression gradually decreased in astrocytes,whereas cellular volume increased in a time-dependent manner (P < 0.01).Following oxygen-glucose reintroduction,AQP4 mRNA and protein expression was upregulated,peaked at day 7,and then gradually decreased,but still higher than normal levels (P < 0.05).However,cellular volume gradually decreased (P < 0.01),and then reached normal levels at day 7.CONCLUSION:AQP4 expression highly correlated with cellular volume changes,suggesting that AQP4 played an important role in modulating brain water transport in an astrocytic oxygen-glucose deprivation and reintroduction model.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30671856 and No.30772536)
文摘HIV-associated dementia(HAD)is a public health problem and is particularly prevalent in drug abusers.The neuropathogenesis of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)infection involves a complex cascade of inflammatory events,including monocyte/macrophage infiltration in the brain,glial immune activation and release of neurotoxic substances.In these events,astrocytic-derived monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1)plays an important role,whose release is elevated by HIV transactivator of transcription(HIV tat)and could be further elevated by opiates.This review will also consider some critical factors and events in MCP-1 enhancement induced by the interactions of opiate and HIV tat,including the mediating role of mu opioid receptor(MOR)and CCR2 as well as the possible signal transduction pathways within the cells.Finally,it will make some future perspectives on the exact pathways,new receptors and target cells,and the vulnerability to neurodegeneration with HIV and opiates.
基金National Institutes of Health Grant NS-091201(to MY)VA MERIT Award I01BX003441(to MY)。
文摘The repair of injured tissue is a highly complex process that involves cell prolife ration,differentiation,and migration.Cell migration requires the dismantling of intercellular contacts in the injured zone and their subsequent reconstitution in the wounded area.Urokinase-type plasminogen activator(u PA)is a serine proteinase found in multiple cell types including endothelial cells,smooth muscle cells,monocytes,and macrophages.A substantial body of experimental evidence with different cell types outside the central nervous system indicates that the binding of uPA to its receptor(uPAR)on the cell surface prompts cell migration by inducing plasmin-mediated degradation of the extracellular matrix.In contrast,although uPA and uPAR are abundantly found in astrocytes and u PA binding to uPAR triggers astrocytic activation,it is unknown if uPA also plays a role in astrocytic migration.Neuronal cadherin is a member of cell adhesion proteins pivotal for the formation of cell-cell conta cts between astrocytes.More specifically,while the extracellular domain of neuronal cadherin interacts with the extracellular domain of neuronal cadherin in neighboring cells,its intracellular domain binds toβ-catenin,which in turn links the complex to the actin cytos keleton.Glycogen synthase kinase 3βis a serine-threonine kinase that prevents the cytoplasmic accumulation ofβ-catenin by inducing its phosphorylation at Ser33,Ser37,and Ser41,thus activating a sequence of events that lead to its proteasomal degradation.The data discussed in this perspective indicate that astrocytes release u PA following a mechanical injury,and that binding of this u PA to uPAR on the cell membrane induces the detachment ofβ-catenin from the intracellular domain of neuronal cadherin by triggering its extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2-mediated phosphorylation at Tyr650.Remarkably,this is followed by the cytoplasmic accumulation ofβ-catenin because uPA-induced extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 activation also phosphorylates lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 at Ser1490,which in turn,by recruiting glycogen synthase kinase 3βto its intracellular domain abrogates its effect onβ-catenin.The cytoplasmic accumulation ofβ-catenin is followed by its nuclear translocation,where it induces the expression of uPAR,which is required for the migration of astrocytes from the injured edge into the wounded area.
文摘Reactive astrogliosis has been implicated in the failure of axonal regeneration in adult mammalian Central Nervous System (CNS). It is our hypothesis that inflammatory cytokines act upon astrocytes to alter their biochemical and physical properties, which may in turn be responsible for the failure of neuronal regeneration. We have therefore examined the effect of tumor-necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) on the ability of astrocytes to support the survival of the cortical neurons and the growth of the neurites. Mouse astrocytes and cortical neuronal cultures were prepared. It was observed that when neurons were cultured in absence of astrocytes only a few of them grew and survived only for 5-6 days. These neurons had small cell bodies and few, short neurites. However, when the same numbers of neurons were cultured on the top of astrocytes, more neurons grew and survived up to 16-18 days. They had bigger cell bodies and many long branched neurites that formed anestamosing networks. The neurons then coalesced and the neurites formed thick bundles. When the same numbers of neurons were grown on the top of astrocytes pre-treated with TNF-α, few neurons survived up to 13 days. The neurites of the survived neurons were shorter than neurites of neurons grown on normal astrocytes and did not form bundles. In addition, TNF-α stimulated the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) by astrocytes. These results support that the pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α modulates the gliosis and that the astrocytic cell supports neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth.
基金the support of the Experiment Center for Science and Technology,Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine(Nanjing,China)supported by grants from the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2021ZD0202903)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.81922066,82173797,82003725,81991523,and 82003722)。
文摘Alanine-serine-cysteine transporter 2(ASCT2)is reported to participate in the progression of tumors and metabolic diseases.It is also considered to play a crucial role in the glutamate-glutamine shuttle of neuroglial network.However,it remains unclear the involvement of ASCT2 in neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease(PD).In this study,we demonstrated that high expression of ASCT2 in the plasma samples of PD patients and the midbrain of MPTP mouse models is positively correlated with dyskinesia.We further illustrated that ASCT2 expressed in astrocytes rather than neurons significantly upregulated in response to either MPP+or LPS/ATP challenge.Genetic ablation of astrocytic ASCT2 alleviated the neuroinflammation and rescued dopaminergic(DA)neuron damage in PD models in vitro and in vivo.Notably,the binding of ASCT2 to NLRP3 aggravates astrocytic inflammasometriggered neuroinflammation.Then a panel of 2513 FDA-approved drugs were performed via virtual molecular screening based on the target ASCT2 and we succeed in getting the drug talniflumate.It is validated talniflumate impedes astrocytic inflammation and prevents degeneration of DA neurons in PD models.Collectively,these findings reveal the role of astrocytic ASCT2 in the pathogenesis of PD,broaden the therapeutic strategy and provide a promising candidate drug for PD treatment.
文摘Parkinsonism by unilateral,intranigralβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside administration in rats is distinguished in that theα-synuclein insult begins unilaterally but spreads bilaterally and increases in severity over time,thus replicating several clinical features of Parkinson’s disease,a typicalα-synucleinopathy.As Nurr1 repressesα-synuclein,we evaluated whether unilateral transfected of rNurr1-V5 transgene via neurotensin-polyplex to the substantia nigra on day 30 after unilateralβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside lesion could affect bilateral neuropathology and sensorimotor deficits on day 30 post-transfection.This study found that rNurr1-V5 expression but not that of the green fluorescent protein(the negative control)reducedβ-sitosterolβ-D-glucoside-induced neuropathology.Accordingly,a bilateral increase in tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells and arborization occurred in the substantia nigra and increased tyrosine hydroxylase-positive ramifications in the striatum.In addition,tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells displayed less senescence markerβ-galactosidase and more neuron-cytoskeleton markerβIII-tubulin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.A significant decrease in activated microglia(positive to ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1)and neurotoxic astrocytes(positive to glial fibrillary acidic protein and complement component 3)and increased neurotrophic astrocytes(positive to glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100 calcium-binding protein A10)also occurred in the substantia nigra.These effects followed the bilateral reduction inα-synuclein aggregates in the nigrostriatal system,improving sensorimotor behavior.Our results show that unilateral rNurr1-V5 transgene expression in nigral dopaminergic neurons mitigates bilateral neurodegeneration(senescence and loss of neuron-cytoskeleton and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells),neuroinflammation(activated microglia,neurotoxic astrocytes),α-synuclein aggregation,and sensorimotor deficits.Increased neurotrophic astrocytes and brain-derived neurotrophic factor can mediate the rNurr1-V5 effect,supporting its potential clinical use in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82071278(to PY)Outstanding Young Medical Talents Project of Changhai Hospital,No.2021JCSQ03(to PY)+1 种基金Shanghai Sailing Program,No.20YF1448000(to XZ)Medical Health Science and Technology Project of Zhoushan City,No.2022JRC01(to HL).
文摘Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system;they participate in crucial biological processes,maintain brain structure,and regulate nervous system function.Exosomes are cell-derived extracellular vesicles containing various bioactive molecules including proteins,peptides,nucleotides,and lipids secreted from their cellular sources.Increasing evidence shows that exosomes participate in a communication network in the nervous system,in which astrocyte-derived exosomes play important roles.In this review,we have summarized the effects of exosomes targeting astrocytes and the astrocyte-derived exosomes targeting other cell types in the central nervous system.We also discuss the potential research directions of the exosome-based communication network in the nervous system.The exosome-based intercellular communication focused on astrocytes is of great significance to the biological and/or pathological processes in different conditions in the brain.New strategies may be developed for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders by focusing on astrocytes as the central cells and utilizing exosomes as communication mediators.
基金supported by the Robert Campeau Family Foundation/Dr.C.H.Tator Chair in Brain and Spinal Cord Research(to MGF)。
文摘Spinal cord injury can be traumatic or non-traumatic in origin,with the latter rising in incidence and prevalence with the aging demographics of our society.Moreove r,as the global population ages,individuals with co-existent degenerative spinal pathology comprise a growing number of traumatic spinal cord injury cases,especially involving the cervical spinal cord.This makes recovery and treatment approaches particula rly challenging as age and comorbidities may limit regenerative capacity.For these reasons,it is critical to better understand the complex milieu of spinal cord injury lesion pathobiology and the ensuing inflammatory response.This review discusses microglia-specific purinergic and cytokine signaling pathways,as well as microglial modulation of synaptic stability and plasticity after injury.Further,we evaluate the role of astrocytes in neurotransmission and calcium signaling,as well as their border-forming response to neural lesions.Both the inflammatory and reparative roles of these cells have eluded our complete understanding and remain key therapeutic targets due to their extensive structural and functional roles in the nervous system.Recent advances have shed light on the roles of glia in neurotransmission and reparative injury responses that will change how interventions are directed.Understanding key processes and existing knowledge gaps will allow future research to effectively target these cells and harness their regenerative potential.
基金supported by NIH R01NS103981 and R01CA273586(to CW)。
文摘Autophagy is a multifaceted cellular process that not only maintains the homeostatic and adaptive responses of the brain but is also dynamically involved in the regulation of neural cell generation,maturation,and survival.Autophagy facilities the utilization of energy and the microenvironment for developing neural stem cells.Autophagy arbitrates structural and functional remodeling during the cell differentiation process.Autophagy also plays an indispensable role in the maintenance of stemness and homeostasis in neural stem cells during essential brain physiology and also in the instigation and progression of diseases.Only recently,studies have begun to shed light on autophagy regulation in glia(microglia,astrocyte,and oligodendrocyte)in the brain.Glial cells have attained relatively less consideration despite their unquestioned influence on various aspects of neural development,synaptic function,brain metabolism,cellular debris clearing,and restoration of damaged or injured tissues.Thus,this review composes pertinent information regarding the involvement of autophagy in neural stem cells and glial regulation and the role of this connexion in normal brain functions,neurodevelopmental disorders,and neurodegenerative diseases.This review will provide insight into establishing a concrete strategic approach for investigating pathological mechanisms and developing therapies for brain diseases.
基金supported by the European Union Grant Alehoop(H2020-BBIJTI-2019-887259)And from the Xunta de Galicia(Centro singular de Investigación de Galicia accreditation 2016-2019),ED431 G/02(to FM)。
文摘The glucagon-like peptide 1 is a pleiotropic hormone that has potent insulinotropic effects and is key in treating metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.Glucagon-like peptide 1 exerts its effects by activating a membrane receptor identified in many tissues,including diffe rent brain regions.Glucagon-like peptide 1 activates several signaling pathways related to neuroprotection,like the support of cell growth/survival,enhancement promotion of synapse formation,autophagy,and inhibition of the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines,microglial activation,and apoptosis during neural morphogenesis.The glial cells,including astrocytes and microglia,maintain metabolic homeostasis and defe nse against pathogens in the central nervous system.After brain insult,microglia are the first cells to respond,followed by reactive astrocytosis.These activated cells produce proinflammato ry mediators like cytokines or chemokines to react to the insult.Furthermore,under these circumstances,mic roglia can become chro nically inflammatory by losing their homeostatic molecular signature and,consequently,their functions during many diseases.Several processes promote the development of neurological disorders and influence their pathological evolution:like the formation of protein aggregates,the accumulation of abnormally modified cellular constituents,the formation and release by injured neurons or synapses of molecules that can dampen neural function,and,of critical impo rtance,the dysregulation of inflammato ry control mechanisms.The glucagonlike peptide 1 receptor agonist emerges as a critical tool in treating brain-related inflammatory pathologies,restoring brain cell homeostasis under inflammatory conditions,modulating mic roglia activity,and decreasing the inflammato ry response.This review summarizes recent advances linked to the anti-inflammato ry prope rties of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor activation in the brain related to multiple sclerosis,Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease,vascular dementia,or chronic migraine.
