Prion protein and its ligand stress inducible protein 1 regulate astrocyte development

✍ Scribed by Camila Arantes; Regina Nomizo; Marilene H. Lopes; Glaucia N. M. Hajj; Flavia R. S. Lima; Vilma R. Martins

• Book ID: 102846927
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 996 KB
• Volume: 57
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0894-1491
• DOI: 10.1002/glia.20861

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Prion protein (PrP^C^) interaction with stress inducible protein 1 (STI1) mediates neuronal survival and differentiation. However, the function of PrP^C^ in astrocytes has not been approached. In this study, we show that STI1 prevents cell death in wild‐type astrocytes in a protein kinase A‐dependent manner, whereas PrP^C^‐null astrocytes were not affected by STI1 treatment. At embryonic day 17, cultured astrocytes and brain extracts derived from PrP^C^‐null mice showed a reduced expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and increased vimentin and nestin expression when compared with wild‐type, suggesting a slower rate of astrocyte maturation in PrP^C^‐null animals. Furthermore, PrP^C^‐null astrocytes treated with STI1 did not differentiate from a flat to a process‐bearing morphology, as did wild‐type astrocytes. Remarkably, STI1 inhibited proliferation of both wild‐type and PrP^C^‐null astrocytes in a protein kinase C‐dependent manner. Taken together, our data show that PrP^C^ and STI1 are essential to astrocyte development and act through distinct signaling pathways. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.