No abstract available.
Astrocytes*

No abstract available.
Astrocytes* ; Humans*

No Abstract Available.
Astrocytes* ; Humans*

Astrocytes ; Learning ; Memory

No abstract available.
Animals ; Astrocytes* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Rats*

Neuroinflammation in central nervous system, featured by glial cells activation, can always be found during the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cells in the brain, can release both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, thus playing a crucial role in the neuroinflammation. A variety of pattern-recognition receptors on astrocytes are involve d in the inflammatory response, particularly the scavenger receptor. Scavenger receptor is a cell surface glycoprotein and can identify diverse ligands. With a variety of biological functions, it may activate many signal pathways related to neuroinflammation, regulate the host defense and the development of neuroinflammation, and eventually regulate the process of neuroinflammation. Thus, it play a key role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases and many other conditions. This review summarizes the scavenger receptor expressed on astrocytes and how it regulates signal transduction pathways associated with neuroinflammation and thus participates in regulating neuroinflammation.
Astrocytes ; Humans ; Neuritis ; Receptors, Scavenger

Astrocytes are non-excitable cells in the brain and their activity largely depends on the intracellular calcium (Ca²⁺) level. Therefore, maintaining the intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis is critical for proper functioning of astrocytes. One of the key regulatory mechanisms of Ca²⁺ homeostasis in astrocytes is the store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE). This process is mediated by a combination of the Ca²⁺-store-depletion-sensor, Stim, and the store-operated Ca²⁺-channels, Orai and TrpC families. Despite the existence of all those families in astrocytes, previous studies have provided conflicting results on the molecular identification of astrocytic SOCE. Here, using the shRNA-based gene-silencing approach and Ca²⁺-imaging from cultured mouse astrocytes, we report that Stim1 in combination with Orai1 and Orai3 contribute to the major portion of astrocytic SOCE. Gene-silencing of Stim1 showed a 79.2% reduction of SOCE, indicating that Stim1 is the major Ca²⁺-store-depletion-sensor. Further gene-silencing showed that Orai1, Orai2, Orai3, and TrpC1 contribute to SOCE by 35.7%, 20.3%, 26.8% and 12.2%, respectively. Simultaneous gene-silencing of all three Orai subtypes exhibited a 67.6% reduction of SOCE. Based on the detailed population analysis, we predict that Orai1 and Orai3 are expressed in astrocytes with a large SOCE, whereas TrpC1 is exclusively expressed in astrocytes with a small SOCE. This analytical approach allows us to identify the store operated channel (SOC) subtype in each cell by the degree of SOCE. Our results propose that Stim1 in combination with Orai1 and Orai3 are the major molecular components of astrocytic SOCE under various physiological and pathological conditions.
Animals ; Astrocytes* ; Brain ; Calcium* ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Mice

No abstract available.
Astrocytes* ; Gene Expression* ; Humans* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

Astrocytes ; metabolism ; pathology ; Epilepsy ; pathology ; Humans

NG2-glia are a major type of glial cells that are widely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS). Under physiological conditions, they mainly differentiate into oligodendrocytes and contribute to the myelination of axons, so they are generally called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Emerging evidence suggests that NG2-glia not only act as the precursors of oligodendrocytes but also possess many other biological properties and functions. For example, NG2-glia can form synapse with neurons and participate in energy metabolism and immune regulation. Under pathological conditions, NG2-glia can also differentiate into astrocytes, Schwann cells and even neurons, which are involved in CNS injury and repair. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the biological characteristics and functions of NG2-glia under physiological and pathological conditions will be helpful for the treatment of CNS injury and disease. This article reviews the recent advances in the biological characteristics and functions of NG2-glia.
Astrocytes ; Central Nervous System ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Oligodendroglia