Astrocyte topography and tenascin/cytotactin expression: correlation with the ability to support neuritic outgrowth

Dissection of astrocyte-mediated cues in neuronal guidance and process extension

“…However, the strength of these boundaries with astrocytes was never as large as found between the individual cell lines. Primary astrocytes are a heterogeneous population (Smith et al, 1986;Grierson et al, 1990;Smith et al, 1990;Goodman et al, 1993;Groves et al, 1993;Meiners et al, 1995;). Immunocytochemistry of astrocyte monolayers has shown that the localization of the boundary molecules, and other ECM molecules, such as laminin and fibronectin, varies throughout the culture (Rogers et al, 1983;Ard and Bunge, 1988;Ard et al, 1993).…”

Astrocytes promote process outgrowth by adult human oligodendrocytes in vitro through interaction between bFGF and astrocyte extracellular matrix

“…Astrocytes are known to synthesize a number of ECM molecules that include laminin, HSPG, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, fibronectin, thrombospondin, tenascin, hyaluronan, and vitronectin (Ard and Bunge, 1988;Asch et al, 1986;Giftochristos and David, 1988;Grierson et al, 1990;Johnson-Green et-al., 1991;Liesi et al, 1983;Price and Hynes, 1985;Selak et al, 1985;Snow et al, 1990); astrocytes are not known to make collagens (Rutka et al, 1986). In the current study, we could demonstrate the presence of fibronectin, laminin, and vitronectin on the astrocyte ECM.…”

CNS injury, glial scars, and inflammation: Inhibitory extracellular matrices and regeneration failure

“…Microglial cells are the resident immune system phagocytic cells within the brain and spinal cord (Kim and de Vellis, 2005), and they also respond rapidly for neural protection or healing after injury (Davalos et al, 2005;Wu et al, 2007b). Astrocytes are important for neurotransmitter regulation (Schousboe and Westergaarde, 1995), ion homeostasis (Walz, 1989), blood brain barrier maintenance (Wolburg and Risau, 1995), and the production of extracellular matrix molecules destined for the basal lamina and perineuronal net (Ard et al, 1993;Bernstein et al, 1985;Canning et al, 1996;Grierson et al, 1990;Massey et al, 2006;McKeon et al, 1991;SmithThomas et al, 1994;Tom et al, 2004a). After injury, they are also the major cell type responsible for walling off areas of damage to protect the fragile brain tissue from further erosion (Fitch et al, 1999;Myer et al, 2006).…”