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Neurodegeneration

Active astrocytes drive inflammation

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 15, page 698 (2014)Cite this article

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Astrocyte activation has been linked to neurodegeneration in conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS); however, the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. The authors found that the enzyme that synthesizes lactosylceramide (LacCer) is upregulated in astrocytes in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (a mouse model of MS) and in clinical MS lesions. LacCer was found to promote astrocyte activation and to control the transcription of genes related to neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. Thus, upregulation of LacCer production in astrocytes may contribute to disease pathogenesis in inflammatory CNS conditions.

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References

  1. Mayo, L. et al. Regulation of astrocyte activation by glycolipids drives chronic CNS inflammation. Nature Med. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.3681 (2014)

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  1. Katherine Whalley
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Whalley, K. Active astrocytes drive inflammation. Nat Rev Neurosci 15, 698 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3844

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