Summary: TEHRAN (FNA)- Researchers have discovered that star-shaped cells called
astrocytes help the brain establish long-lasting memories.
Release date- 30072019 - Working with mouse and human tissue, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report new evidence that a protein pumped out of some but not all populations of 'helper' cells in the brain, called
astrocytes, plays a specific role in directing the formation of connections among neurons needed for learning and forming new memories.
On one side, Foxg1 regulates the expression of four master genes implicated in the choice between production of neurons and that of
astrocytes; on the other, it modulates the function of several molecular machines (gene batteries) involved in the execution of the
astrocyte differentiation program.
Permeability of endothelial and
astrocyte cocultures: in vitro blood-brain barrier models for drug delivery studies.
A protein called LRP1 was also found which picks up amyloid beta proteins outside the
astrocyte and delivers them to endosomes.
Astrocyte scar formation aids central nervous system axon regeneration.
One team has been investigating an efficient, inexpensive way to count white blood cells, and another has focused on
astrocytes, star-shaped brain cells believed to play a role in neurological disorders like Lou Gehrig's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's disease.
Moreover, high-rate insult caused increased signaling potential within
astrocyte networks both in the presence and absence of neurons.
Figure 1 shows the current/voltage (IV) curves of a biological
astrocyte on the left and the new
astrocyte model on the right.
Caption: Figure 2: Representative immunohistochemical staining for GFAP (
astrocyte, red), CD11b (microglia, green), and DAPI staining (nuclei, blue) in rat primary cortical
astrocytes.
The value of considering molecular targets in
astrocytes comes from evidence that neurons are not viable without
astrocytes [115], and
astrocyte viability is maintained for longer than neurons in animal models of stroke [116-118].
In the present study, we want to investigate whether
astrocyte is an active participator which mediates the neuroprotective effects of irisin.
