Progranulin is a chemoattractant for microglia and stimulates their endocytic activity.

ABSTRACT: Mutations resulting in progranulin haploinsufficiency cause disease in patients with a subset of frontotemporal lobar degeneration; however, the biological functions of progranulin in the brain remain unknown. To address this subject, the present study initially assessed changes in gene expression and cytokine secretion in rat primary cortical neurons treated with progranulin. Molecular pathways enriched in the progranulin gene set included cell adhesion and cell motility pathways and pathways involved in growth and development. Secretion of cytokines and several chemokines linked to chemoattraction but not inflammation were also increased from progranulin-treated primary neurons. Therefore, whether progranulin is involved in recruitment of immune cells in the brain was investigated. Local

SUBMITTER: Pickford F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3070582 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature