scholarly journals A Rapid Replacement of Vimentin-Containing Radial Glia by Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein-Containing Astrocytes in Transplanted Telencephalon

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Tuba ◽  
Lázló Kállai ◽  
Mihály Kálmán

The present study follows the early events in the development of astroglia in rat embryonic (El5) tissue grafted into the cortex of adult rats. Astroglial elements (radial glia and astrocytes) were studied by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin immunohistochemistry on post-transplantation (PT) days 7, 11, 14, 17, and 21. At PT7, GFAP-immunopositive elements were only scarce fibers in the transplants. At PTll, a dense network of long, GFAP-immunopositive fibers enmeshed the entire transplant, and astrocytes were already recognized. The fibers also showed vimentin immunoreactivity. By PT14, astrocytes became the predominant GFAP-labeled elements, although a few long fibers persisted. When compared with in situ development, the grafts showed earlier GFAP-immunoreactivity and earlier appearance of astrocytes, as well as a more rapid transition from the immature to the mature form of the glial system.

1996 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 853-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Galou ◽  
E Colucci-Guyon ◽  
D Ensergueix ◽  
J L Ridet ◽  
M Gimenez y Ribotta ◽  
...  

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an intermediate filament protein expressed predominantly in astrocytes. The study of its expression in the astrocyte lineage during development and in reactive astrocytes has revealed an intricate relationship with the expression of vimentin, another intermediate filament protein widely expressed in embryonic development. these findings suggested that vimentin could be implicated in the organization of the GFAP network. To address this question, we have examined GFAP expression and network formation in the recently generated vimentin knockout (Vim-) mice. We show that the GFAP network is disrupted in astrocytes that normally coexpress vimentin and GFAP, e.g., those of the corpus callosum or the Bergmann glia of cerebellum. Furthermore, Western blot analysis of GFAP protein content in the cerebellum suggests that posttranslational mechanisms are implicated in the disturbance of GFAP network formation. The role of vimentin in this process was further suggested by transfection of Vim-cultured astrocytes with a vimentin cDNA, which resulted in the normal assembly of the GFAP network. Finally, we examined GFAP expression after stab wound-induced astrogliosis. We demonstrate that in Vim- mice, reactive astrocytes that normally express both GFAP and vimentin do not exhibit GFAP immunoreactivity, whereas those that normally express GFAP only retain GFAP immunoreactivity. Taken together, these results show that in astrocytes, where vimentin is normally expressed with GFAP fails to assemble into a filamentous network in the absence of vimentin. In these cells, therefore, vimentin appears necessary to stabilize GFAP filaments and consequently the network formation.


2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 2425-2433 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Vallés ◽  
M. Sancho-Tello ◽  
R. Miñana ◽  
E. Climent ◽  
J. Renau-Piqueras ◽  
...  

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