scholarly journals Abnormal Reaction to Central Nervous System Injury in Mice Lacking Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein and Vimentin

1999 ◽  
Vol 145 (3) ◽  
pp. 503-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milos Pekny ◽  
Clas B. Johansson ◽  
Camilla Eliasson ◽  
Josefina Stakeberg ◽  
Åsa Wallén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Glial Scar ◽  
Scar Formation ◽  
Brain Lesions ◽  
Acidic Protein ◽  
The Central Nervous System

In response to injury of the central nervous system, astrocytes become reactive and express high levels of the intermediate filament (IF) proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin, and nestin. We have shown that astrocytes in mice deficient for both GFAP and vimentin (GFAP−/−vim−/−) cannot form IFs even when nestin is expressed and are thus devoid of IFs in their reactive state. Here, we have studied the reaction to injury in the central nervous system in GFAP−/−, vimentin−/−, or GFAP−/−vim−/− mice. Glial scar formation appeared normal after spinal cord or brain lesions in GFAP−/− or vimentin−/− mice, but was impaired in GFAP−/−vim−/− mice that developed less dense scars frequently accompanied by bleeding. These results show that GFAP and vimentin are required for proper glial scar formation in the injured central nervous system and that some degree of functional overlap exists between these IF proteins.

scholarly journals Refining the concept of GFAP toxicity in Alexander disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Albee Messing
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Alexander Disease ◽  
Acidic Protein ◽  
Sequence Variants ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Gain Of Function ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Abstract Background Alexander disease is caused by dominantly acting mutations in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), the major intermediate filament of astrocytes in the central nervous system. Main body In addition to the sequence variants that represent the origin of disease, GFAP accumulation also takes place, together leading to a gain-of-function that has sometimes been referred to as “GFAP toxicity.” Whether the nature of GFAP toxicity in patients, who have mixtures of both mutant and normal protein, is the same as that produced by simple GFAP excess, is not yet clear. Conclusion The implications of these questions for the design of effective treatments are discussed.

scholarly journals Toxicity of Shiga Toxin 1 in the Central Nervous System of Rabbits

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 6545-6548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Fujii ◽  
Yoshimasa Kinoshita ◽  
Takashi Yutsudo ◽  
Hatsumi Taniguchi ◽  
Tom Obrig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Shiga Toxin ◽  
Brain Lesions ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
The Central Nervous System

ABSTRACT The action of Shiga toxin (Stx) on the central nervous system was examined in rabbits. Intravenous Stx1 was 44 times more lethal than Stx2 and acted more rapidly than Stx2. However, Stx1 accumulated more slowly in the cerebrospinal fluid than did Stx2. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a predominance of Stx1-dependent lesions in the spinal cord. Pretreatment of the animals with anti-Stx1 antiserum intravenously completely protected against both development of brain lesions and mortality.

Degeneration and regeneration of axons in the lesioned spinal cord

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. E. Schwab ◽  
D. Bartholdi
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Brain Lesions ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Growth Guidance ◽  
The Central Nervous System

For many decades, the inability of lesioned central neurons to regrow was accepted almost as a "law of nature", and on the clinical level, spinal cord and brain lesions were seen as being irreversible. Today we are starting to understand the mechanisms of neuronal regeneration in the central nervous system and its presence in the periphery. There is now a rapid expansion in this field of neuroscience. Developmental neurobiology has produced tools and concepts that start to show their impact on regeneration research. This is particularly true for the availability of antibodies and factors and for the rapidly growing cellular and molecular understanding of crucial aspects of neurite growth, guidance, target finding, and synapse stabilization. New cell biological concepts on the mechanisms of neuron survival and death and on the interaction of inflammatory cells with the central nervous system also find their way into the field of spinal cord and brain lesions and have, indeed, led already to new therapeutic approaches. This review briefly summarizes the current knowledge on the mechanisms involved in degeneration and tissue loss and in axonal regeneration subsequent to spinal cord lesions, particularly in mammals and humans.

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