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Neuron–Astrocyte Interactions in Neuroinflammation

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Neuron-Glia Interaction in Neuroinflammation

Part of the book series: Advances in Neurobiology ((NEUROBIOL,volume 7))

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Abstract

Reactive astrogliosis is a prominent feature of the brain inflammatory response and it represents a hallmark of many CNS pathologies including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. While in physiological conditions astrocytes serve as multifunctional housekeeping cells, once activated they may affect neuronal survival in many different ways. Depending on the type of the stimuli and/or pathological conditions reactive astrogliosis may lead to either neuroprotective or neurotoxic inflammatory responses. Here we summarize the current knowledge of the origins and neuropathological features of reactive astrogliosis. Furthermore, we discuss the role and the potential of astrocytes as resident brain immune cells with particular emphasis on how astrocyte immune profiles may determine the cross talk between activated astrocytes and neurons in acute brain injuries such as stroke versus nonresolving, chronic inflammation associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Finally, because of the complex nature of the brain inflammatory response and its relevance in drug discovery programs, we highlight the value and importance of live imaging models in which different elements of neuroinflammation, including astrocytes activation and glia/neuron cross talk, can be visualized and studied in real time.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Alzheimer’s disease

ALS:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

BBB:

Blood–brain barrier

CCD:

Coupled charged device

CNS:

Central nervous system

ERE:

Estrogen responsive element

Fluc:

Firefly luciferase

FTD:

Fronto-temporal dementia

GFAP:

Glial fibrillary acidic protein

GFP:

Green fluorescent protein

ICAM-1:

Intercellular adhesion molecule 1

IFN-γ:

Interferon gamma

IL-1β:

Interleukin-1beta

IL-6:

Interleukin-6

iNOS:

Inducible nitric oxide synthase

MCAO:

Middle cerebral artery occlusion

MHC:

Major histocompatibility complex

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor kappa B

NO:

Nitric oxide

NPCs:

Neuronal progenitor cells

PD:

Parkinson’s disease

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

SOD1:

Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase 1

TDP-43:

Tar binding protein 43

TLRs:

Toll-like receptors

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor alpha

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Acknowledgement

 This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec (HSFQ). J.K. is a Senior Scholar from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ).

Conflict of interest statement The author declares no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine Laval University, and Le Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec, F3000 (F3467) 2601, de la Canardière, Québec (Quebec), Canada, G1J 2G3

    Jasna Kriz M.D., Ph.D.

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Correspondence to Jasna Kriz M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroimmunology Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    Akio Suzumura

  2. Div of Neurobiology & Neuroinformatics, National Inst of Physiological Science, Aichi, Japan

    Kazuhiro Ikenaka

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Kriz, J. (2013). Neuron–Astrocyte Interactions in Neuroinflammation. In: Suzumura, A., Ikenaka, K. (eds) Neuron-Glia Interaction in Neuroinflammation. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 7. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8313-7_5

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