Expression of Neuronal Antigens by Astrocytes Derived from EGF-Generated Neuroprogenitor Cells

• Published in: Experimental neurology Vol. 141; no. 1; pp. 67 - 78
• Main Authors: Schinstine, Malcolm, Iacovitti, Lorraine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.09.1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens - immunology; Astrocytes - cytology; Astrocytes - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - cytology; Brain - embryology; Cell Line; Cells, Cultured; Epidermal Growth Factor - pharmacology; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Medical sciences; Mice - embryology; Mice, Inbred Strains; Neurons - immunology; Stem Cells - cytology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Cell culture; Nervous system diseases; Pathophysiology; Cytokine; Rodentia; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Astrocyte; Gene expression; In vitro; Trauma; Cerebral disorder; Antigen; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Epidermal growth factor; Neuron; Mouse; Polypeptide; Animal; Central nervous system disease; Models; Growth factor; Brain (vertebrata); Progenitor cell
• ISSN: 0014-4886; 1090-2430
• DOI: 10.1006/exnr.1996.0140

Previous studies have demonstrated that astrocytes reacting to CNS injury can express antigens normally associated with neurons. The origin of the reactive astrocytes, i.e., whether they are newly differentiated glial cells or preexisting astrocytes somehow triggered to express neuronal markers, remains difficult to determine using anin vivomodel system. Anin vitromodel may prove more manageable. In the present study, primary brain cultures and EGF-generated neuroprogenitor cells were used to study the expression of neuronal antigens by established (primary) and nascent astrocytes, respectively. Astrocytes derived directly from dissociated mouse brains exhibited a flat morphology typical of type 1 astrocytes. These cells were nestin and GFAP positive and, in most cases, the antigens were colocalized. Primary astrocytes did not appear to express the putative neuronal markers GABA,Tau,or MAP2. Nascent astrocytes derived from EGF-generated progenitor cells showed a similar pattern of GFAP and nestin immunoreactivity. Contrary to primary astrocytes, many GFAP-intensive, stellate astrocytes exhibitedTauand MAP2. These cells also exhibited an intense nestin immunoreactivity. These data suggest that the reactive astrocytes expressing neuronal antigens in response to CNS trauma may be derived from neural progenitor cells rather than from previously differentiated astrocytes.