Reactive microgliosis: extracellular micro-calpain and microglia-mediated dopaminergic neurotoxicity.

ABSTRACT: Microglia, the innate immune cells in the brain, can become chronically activated in response to dopaminergic neuron death, fuelling a self-renewing cycle of microglial activation followed by further neuron damage (reactive microgliosis), which is implicated in the progressive nature of Parkinson's disease. Here, we use an in vitro approach to separate neuron injury factors from the cellular actors of reactive microgliosis and discover molecular signals responsible for chronic and toxic microglial activation. Upon injury with the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, N27 cells (dopaminergic neuron cell line) released soluble neuron injury factors that activated microglia and were selectively toxic to dopaminergic neurons in mixed mesencephalic neuron-glia cultures through ni

SUBMITTER: Levesque S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2860703 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature