Wistar rat pups had the left common carotid artery cut, and they were exposed to 8% oxygen with free access to food and water until they were killed at 1, 12, 24, and 48 hours after the hypoxia-ischemia (HI) insult. Connexin 43 (Cx43), hemichannel (HC1), and caspase 3 (Casp3) in cerebral HI tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses. Astrocytes cell line, astrocytes...

BACKGROUND Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a complex condition that exhibits a spectrum of abnormal neuropsychological and locomotor behaviors. Mechanisms for neuropathogenesis could include irregular immune activation, host soluble factors, and astrocyte dysfunction. METHODS We examined the role of astrocytes as modulators of immune function in macaques with SIB. We measured changes in astr...

We have recently demonstrated that neonatal astrocytes derived from mice lacking beta-2 adrenergic receptors (beta(2)AR) possess higher proliferation rates, as compared to wild-type cells, an attribute that was shown to involve insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling. In the present study, we demonstrate that basal cAMP levels in beta(2)AR knockout astrocytes were significantly lower than in...

Modulating the behaviors of reactive astrocytes is a potential therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases. We found that upregulation and activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) occur in astrocytes after different injuries in optic nerves in vivo. Activation of EGFR regulates genes and cellular processes representing most major markers of reactive astrocytes and genes...

PURPOSE Investigate the effect of hydrostatic pressure (HP) on 3', 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels and downstream signaling in cultures of normal optic nerve head (ONH) astrocytes from Caucasian American (CA) and African American (AA) donors. METHODS Intracellular cAMP levels were assayed after exposing ONH astrocytes to HP for varying times. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to de...

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the main component of intermediate filaments in astrocytes. To assess its function in astrocyte swelling, we compared astrocyte membrane properties and swelling in spinal cord slices of 8- to 10-day-old wild-type control (GFAP(+/+)) and GFAP-knockout (GFAP(-/-)) mice. Membrane currents and K(+) accumulation around astrocytes after a depolarizing pulse w...

Our recent findings indicate an induced upregulation of 14-3-3c mRNA and protein in ischemic cortical astrocytes. Despite being brain-specific, the functional role of 14-3-3c in the brain still remains largely unknown. In this study, we show that among all the 14-3-3 isoforms, only the c isoform is inducible under ischemia in astrocytes. Furthermore, this upregulation of 14-3-3c may play a spec...

Astrocytes are now distinguished as major regulators of neuronal growth and synaptic development. Recently, they have been identified as key players in the progression of a number of developmental disorders; however, in fragile X syndrome (FXS), the role of astrocytes is not known. Using a coculture design, we found that hippocampal neurons exhibited abnormal dendritic morphology and a decrease...

Astrocytes, a sub-type of glia in the central nervous system, are dynamic signaling elements that integrate neuronal inputs, exhibit calcium excitability, and can modulate neighboring neurons. Neuronal activity can lead to neurotransmitter-evoked activation of astrocytic receptors, which mobilizes their internal calcium. Elevations in astrocytic calcium in turn trigger the release of chemical t...

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes motor neuron degeneration, paralysis, and death. Accurate disease modeling, identifying disease mechanisms, and developing therapeutics is urgently needed. We previously reported motor neuron toxicity through postmortem ALS spinal cord-derived astrocytes. However, these cells can only be harvested after death, and their expansion is limited. We now rep...