Can astrocytes differentiate?

Recently, correlative studies suggested that astrocytes are able to dedifferentiate upon injury and may thereby re-acquire neural stem cell (NSC) potential. This dedifferentiation process is maintained as long as TNF is present in the culture medium.

What do protoplasmic astrocytes do?

Protoplasmic astrocytes posses highly branched bushy processes and are widely distributed in the gray matter. They extend endfeet to blood vessels and enwrap them to form the glial limiting membrane, which is the outermost wall of the blood brain barrier (BBB). The functions of fibrous astrocytes are not clear.

What is the difference between dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation?

During dedifferentiation, a terminally differentiated cell reverts back to a less-differentiated stage from within its own lineage, which allows it to proliferate. Transdifferentiation sees cells regress to a point when they can switch lineages or can also occur directly between two different cell types.

What is GFAP in astrocytes?

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is the hallmark intermediate filament (IF; also known as nanofilament) protein in astrocytes, a main type of glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocytes have a range of control and homeostatic functions in health and disease.

What are GFAP positive astrocytes?

What is the exact role of GFAP positive astrocytes in neurological disorders? Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is considered one of the best marker for the activation of astrocytes (AS) following injury or stress in the central nervous system (CNS).

What is the difference between fibrous and protoplasmic astrocytes?

Unlike fibrous astrocytes, protoplasmic astrocytes occur in the gray matter of the central nervous system. They have fewer fibrils within their cytoplasm, and cytoplasmic organelles are sparse, so that the somata are shaped by surrounding neurons and fibres.

What do astrocytes do MCAT?

Astrocytes support and brace the neurons and anchor them to their nutrient supply lines. They also play an important role in making exchanges between capillaries and neurons.

Are there more astrocytes or microglia?

The number of astrocytes was, on average, 2–3 times as large as the number of microglial cells. High density of astrocytes, was found in the hypothalamus and hippocampus (more than 260 cells/mm2); they were more, numerous in the white matter than in the gray matter.