Professor Ben Barres (Stanford University)
Microglia-Induced A1 Phenotype in Astrocytes Play Major Role in Neurodegenerative Disease --
2017 Talk at MIT's Broad Institute
Microglia-Induced A1 Phenotype in Astrocytes Play Major Role in Neurodegenerative Disease --
2017 Talk at MIT's Broad Institute
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Prof. Ben Barres presenting his lab's remarkable work uncovering the profoundly neurotoxic role played by A1 reactive phenotype astrocytes in driving neuronal and oligodendroglial cell death in neurodegenerative disease.
Importantly, the Barres lab has shown that immuno-reactive microglia are the exclusive source of the chemical cues (C1q, IL1-alpha, TNF-alpha) triggering the shift to A1 phenotype. |
Barres and colleagues show that immune challenge by itself (in the form of systemic exposure to LPS, or injury due to ischemic stroke for example) is not sufficient to transform astocytes to A1 phenotype. Microglia must be present, and they must be immuno-reactive for an LPS challenge to trigger the transformation to the A1, neurotoxic phenotype.
Note: The Barres Lab's results are consistent with two important 2017 studies of ETX in models of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke.. Li, et al 2017, ETX ,Microglia & Ischemic Stroke and Li et al 2017, ETX, Microglia and Hemorrhagic Stroke both find that neurological damage following stroke is a function of microglial immune reactivity, AND they find that ETX's robust reduction in neurological damage and deficits following stroke require the presence of microglia.
Note: The Barres Lab's results are consistent with two important 2017 studies of ETX in models of hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke.. Li, et al 2017, ETX ,Microglia & Ischemic Stroke and Li et al 2017, ETX, Microglia and Hemorrhagic Stroke both find that neurological damage following stroke is a function of microglial immune reactivity, AND they find that ETX's robust reduction in neurological damage and deficits following stroke require the presence of microglia.