Probing the Complexities of Astrocyte Calcium Signaling

Adrenergic calcium signaling in astrocyte networks within the hippocampal slice.

Norepinephrine (NE) and glutamate (Glu) initiate intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) transients, oscillations, and intracellular [Ca2+]i waves in cultured astrocytes. To further elucidate the significance of NE- and Glu-evoked astrocytic [Ca2+]i signaling to neuron-astrocyte communication in the mature CNS, [Ca2+]i of astrocyte networks within hippocampal slices (P21-42) was measured during bath ap...

Wingless signaling: The inconvenient complexities of life

Nature is a home handywoman. Constrained by evolution, she does the job with the tools at hand, using a screwdriver for a hammer if necessary. This is well illustrated by the way particular cell signaling systems, such as that mediated by Wingless (Wg) in Drosophila and its Wnt homologs in vertebrates, direct diverse developmental decisions. The Wg/Wnt signaling system has been the subject of i...

Challenging the Dogma: Reevaluating the Role of Astrocyte Calcium Signaling in Physiology

The functional role of astrocyte calcium signaling in cortical blood flow regulation.

Inflammatory mediators alter the astrocyte transcriptome and calcium signaling elicited by multiple G-protein-coupled receptors.

Inflammation features in CNS disorders such as stroke, trauma, neurodegeneration, infection, and autoimmunity in which astrocytes play critical roles. To elucidate how inflammatory mediators alter astrocyte functions, we examined effects of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and interferon-gamma (IFNγ), alone and in combination, on purified, mouse primary cortical...