The brain's neurons rely on speedy electrical signals to communicate throughout the brain and release neurotransmitters, but
astrocytes instead generate signals of calcium and release substances known as gliotransmitters, some of them chemically similar to neurotransmitters.
'We are looking at the fundamental biology of how
astrocytes function, but perhaps have discovered a new target for someday intervening in neurodegenerative diseases with novel therapeutics,' says Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D., the John W.
Stem cells give life to neurons, then to glial cells, starting with the
astrocytes, which are essential for nourishing nerve cells and modulating their activity.
The addition of
astrocytes regulates tight junctions and helps facilitate cellular trafficking (10).
A study conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists have found new evidence in lab-grown mouse brain cells, called
astrocytes, that one root of Alzheimer's disease may be a simple imbalance in acid-alkaline-or pH-chemistry inside endosomes, the nutrient and chemical cargo shuttles in cells.
Astrocytes are the most widely distributed class of cells in mammalian brain.
Second, UCLA neuroscientists have conducted research that could lead to a better understanding of
astrocytes (Figure 2).
Vande-Vord, "
Astrocyte Reactivity Following Blast Exposure Involves Aberrant Histone Acetylation,", Front Mol Neurosci, vol.
In these pathological states, microglia and
astrocytes are activated; they produce proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] (TNF[alpha]), interleukin-1[beta] (IL-1[beta]), and interferon-[gamma] (IFN[gamma]), as well as nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in neuronal damage; all these changes contribute to CNS disorder [1-3].
Swanson, "
Astrocyte glutamate transport: review of properties, regulation, and physiological functions," Glia, vol.
Astrocyte cultures were incubated with irisin for 12 hours and then replaced with fresh medium.
The ER stress transducer protein Old
Astrocyte Specifically Induced Substance (OASIS), a member of the CREB/ATF family transcription factors, transmits UPR signaling in a cell- or tissue-specific manner.
Astrocyte, Human glial fibrillary acidic protein gene promoter, Central nervous system, Guangxi Bama mini-pig, Transgenic pig model, Germline transmission.
