Non-cell autonomous astrocyte-mediated neuronal toxicity in prion diseases.

ABSTRACT: Under normal conditions, astrocytes perform a number of important physiological functions centered around neuronal support and synapse maintenance. In neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion diseases, astrocytes acquire reactive phenotypes, which are sustained throughout the disease progression. It is not known whether in the reactive states associated with prion diseases, astrocytes lose their ability to perform physiological functions and whether the reactive states are neurotoxic or, on the contrary, neuroprotective. The current work addresses these questions by testing the effects of reactive astrocytes isolated from prion-infected C57BL/6J mice on primary neuronal cultures. We found that astrocytes isolated at the clinical stage of the disease exhibited

SUBMITTER: Kushwaha R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7866439 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature