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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Human Glial-Restricted Progenitor Transplantation Into Cervical Spinal Cord Of The Sod1 Mouse Model Of Als., Angelo C Lepore, John O'Donnell, Andrew S Kim, Timothy Williams, Alicia Tuteja, Mahendra S Rao, Linda L Kelley, James T Campanelli, Nicholas J Maragakis Oct 2011

Human Glial-Restricted Progenitor Transplantation Into Cervical Spinal Cord Of The Sod1 Mouse Model Of Als., Angelo C Lepore, John O'Donnell, Andrew S Kim, Timothy Williams, Alicia Tuteja, Mahendra S Rao, Linda L Kelley, James T Campanelli, Nicholas J Maragakis

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Cellular abnormalities are not limited to motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There are numerous observations of astrocyte dysfunction in both humans with ALS and in SOD1(G93A) rodents, a widely studied ALS model. The present study therapeutically targeted astrocyte replacement in this model via transplantation of human Glial-Restricted Progenitors (hGRPs), lineage-restricted progenitors derived from human fetal neural tissue. Our previous findings demonstrated that transplantation of rodent-derived GRPs into cervical spinal cord ventral gray matter (in order to target therapy to diaphragmatic function) resulted in therapeutic efficacy in the SOD1(G93A) rat. Those findings demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of transplantation-based …


The Role Of The Androgen Receptor Cofactor P44/Wdr77 In Astrocyte Activation, Bryce H. Vincent Aug 2011

The Role Of The Androgen Receptor Cofactor P44/Wdr77 In Astrocyte Activation, Bryce H. Vincent

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Astrogliosis is induced by neuronal damage and is also a pathological feature of the major aging-related neurodegenerative disorders. The mechanisms that control the cascade of astrogliosis have not been well established. In a previous study, we identified a novel androgen receptor (AR)-interacting protein (p44/WDR77) and found that it plays a critical role in the control of proliferation and differentiation of prostate epithelial cells. In the present study, we found that deletion of the p44 gene in the mouse brain caused accelerated aging with dramatic astrogliosis. The p44/WDR77 is expressed in astrocytes and loss of p44/WDR77 expression in astrocytes leads to …


Myd88 Is Pivotal For Immune Recognition Of Citrobacter Koseri And Astrocyte Activation During Cns Infection., Shuliang Liu, Tammy Kielian Apr 2011

Myd88 Is Pivotal For Immune Recognition Of Citrobacter Koseri And Astrocyte Activation During Cns Infection., Shuliang Liu, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Citrobacter koseri (C. koseri) is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause a highly aggressive form of neonatal meningitis, which often progresses to establish multi-focal brain abscesses. The roles of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its signaling adaptor MyD88 during CNS C. koseri infection have not yet been examined, which is important since recent evidence indicates that innate immune responses are tailored towards specific pathogen classes. Here TLR4 WT (C3H/FeJ) and TLR4 mutant (C3H/HeJ) mice as well as MyD88 KO animals were infected intracerebrally with live C. koseri, resulting in meningitis and ventriculitis with accompanying brain abscess formation. MyD88 KO mice …


Expression Of Lpp3 In Bergmann Glia Is Required For Proper Cerebellar Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Metabolism/Signaling And Development, Alejandro Lopez-Juarez, Sara Morales-Lázaro, Roberto Sánchez-Sánchez, Manjula Sunkara, Hilda Lomelí, Iván Velasco, Andrew J. Morris, Diana Escalante-Alcalde Apr 2011

Expression Of Lpp3 In Bergmann Glia Is Required For Proper Cerebellar Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Metabolism/Signaling And Development, Alejandro Lopez-Juarez, Sara Morales-Lázaro, Roberto Sánchez-Sánchez, Manjula Sunkara, Hilda Lomelí, Iván Velasco, Andrew J. Morris, Diana Escalante-Alcalde

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bioactive lipids serve as intracellular and extracellular mediators in cell signaling in normal and pathological conditions. Here we describe that an important regulator of some of these lipids, the lipid phosphate phosphatase-3 (LPP3), is abundantly expressed in specific plasma membrane domains of Bergmann glia (BG), a specialized type of astrocyte with key roles in cerebellum development and physiology. Mice selectively lacking expression of LPP3/Ppap2b in the nervous system are viable and fertile but exhibit defects in postnatal cerebellum development and modifications in the cytoarchitecture and arrangement of BG with a mild non-progressive motor coordination defect. Lipid and gene profiling studies …


Neuroinflammation Leads To Region-Dependent Alterations In Astrocyte Gap Junction Communication And Hemichannel Activity., Nikolay Karpuk, Maria Burkovetskaya, Teresa Fritz, Amanda Angle, Tammy Kielian Jan 2011

Neuroinflammation Leads To Region-Dependent Alterations In Astrocyte Gap Junction Communication And Hemichannel Activity., Nikolay Karpuk, Maria Burkovetskaya, Teresa Fritz, Amanda Angle, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Inflammation attenuates gap junction (GJ) communication in cultured astrocytes. Here we used a well-characterized model of experimental brain abscess as a tool to query effects of the CNS inflammatory milieu on astrocyte GJ communication and electrophysiological properties. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed on green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive astrocytes in acute brain slices from glial fibrillary acidic protein-GFP mice at 3 or 7 d after Staphylococcus aureus infection in the striatum. Astrocyte GJ communication was significantly attenuated in regions immediately surrounding the abscess margins and progressively increased to levels typical of uninfected brain with increasing distance from the abscess proper. Conversely, …


Glial Differentiation Of Human Umbilical Stem Cells In 2d And 3d Environments, Hedvika Davis Jan 2011

Glial Differentiation Of Human Umbilical Stem Cells In 2d And 3d Environments, Hedvika Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During differentiation stem cells are exposed to a range of microenvironmental chemical and physical cues. In this study, human multipotent progenitor cells (hMLPCs) were differentiated from umbilical cord into oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Chemical cues were represented by a novel defined differentiation medium containing the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE). In traditional 2 dimensional (2D) conditions, the hMLPCs differentiated into oligodendrocyte precursors, but did not progress further. However, in a constructed 3 dimensional (3D) environment, the hMLPCs differentiated into committed oligodendrocytes that expressed MBP. When co-cultured with rat embryonic hippocampal neurons (EHNs), hMLPCs developed in astrocytes or oligodendrocytes, based on presence of growth …


Aquaporin 4 Expression And Distribution During Osmotic Brain Edema And Following Chronic Treatment Of Desipramine, Sergei Alexander Robinson Jan 2011

Aquaporin 4 Expression And Distribution During Osmotic Brain Edema And Following Chronic Treatment Of Desipramine, Sergei Alexander Robinson

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Osmotic brain edema or chronic treatment with desipramine alters brain water permeability. In this study we investigated aquaporin 4 expression and distribution in these two conditions. Brain edema development was induced by intraperitoneal water injection. Blood serum osmolality decreased from 296 ± 1 mOsm to 278 ± 2 mOsm within 15 min. Cerebral cortex water content increased from 79.8 ± 0.2 % to 81.3 ± 0.5% during 120 min of this hyposmotic exposure. Aquaporin 4 immunostaining intensity at the astrocytic endfeet increased in water injected animals from 2.6 ± 0.04 intensity unites (IU) to 3.2 ± 0.21 IU, while total …