Astrocytes glial fibrillary acidic protein

Representative photomicrographs of neuronal immunostaining with antibodies recognizing neuron specific enolase (a) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (b) in vitro (c) and ex vivo (d) immunostaining of astrocytes with antibodies recognizing glial fibrillary acidic protein microglial cells with ED-1 (e) and OX-42 (f) antibodies... 

Toimela TA, Tahti H. 1995. Effects of mercury, methylmercury and aluminum on glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in rat cerebellar astrocyte cultures. Toxicol in Vitro 9 317-325. 

Fig. 2. Representative coronal sections of a normothermic and a hypothermic animal 2 mo after 2-h MCAO. Although there is no tissue left in the infarcted area of the normothermic animal, the periinfarct zone still shows reactive astrocytes expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and manganese-super-oxide dismutase (SOD2) which can be seen as a dark rim around the infarcted area. The hypothermia-treated animal shows a significantly smaller infarct.

Brahmachaii S, Fung YK and Pahan K (2006) Induction of glial fibrillary acidic protein expression in astrocytes by nitric oxide. J Neurosci 26 4930 939. 

BQm BO, Liu Y, Ruan Y, Xu ZC, Schantz L, He JJ (2003) Neuropathologies in transgenic mice expressing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 tat protein under the regulation of the astrocyte-specific glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter and doxycydine. Am J Patliol 162 1693-1707. 

Also prevalent in ALS are reactive astrocytes, which stain intensively for the intermediate filament, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). These reactive astrocytes, with a hypertrophied appearance, are present throughout areas of degeneration. Reactive astrocytes can have multiple roles including a neuro-protective function (Liberto et al., 2004). 

Levitt P, Rakic P (1980) hnmunoperoxidase localization of glial fibrillary acidic protein in radial glial cells and astrocytes of tire developmg rhesus monkey. J Comp Neurol 193 815-840. 

Stromberg I, Bjorklund H, Dahl D, Jonsson G, Sundstrom E, Olson L (1986) Astrocyte responses to dopaminergic denervations by 6-hydroxydopamine and l-methyl-4-phenyl-l,2,3,6-tetrahydro-pyridine as evidenced by glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohis-tochemistry. Brain Res Bull 17 225-236. 

GFAP glial fibrillary acidic proteins form the main intermediate filament in astrocytes and are therefore used as the marker protein of astrocytes. 

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