The Complement System: A Powerful Modulator and Effector of Astrocyte Function in the Healthy and Diseased Central Nervous System

• The complement system, an effector arm of the innate immune system that plays a critical role in tissue inflammation, the elimination of pathogens and the clearance of dead cells and cell debris, has emerged as a regulator of many processes in the central nervous system, including neural cell genesis and migration, control of synapse number and function, and modulation of glial cell responses. Complement dysfunction has also been put forward as a major contributor to neurological disease. Astrocytes are neuroectoderm-derived glial cells that maintain water and ionic homeostasis, and control cerebral blood flow and multiple aspects of neuronal functioning. By virtue of their expression of soluble as well as membrane-bound complement proteins and receptors, astrocytes are able to both send and receive complement-related signals. Here we review the current understanding of the multiple functions of the complement system in the central nervous system as they pertain to the modulation of astrocyte activity, and how astrocytes use the complement system to affect their environment in the healthy brain and in the context of neurological disease.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

astrocytes

the complement system

C3

reactive astrocytes

reactive

gliosis

neurodegeneration

neural plasticity

fibrillary acidic protein

c3a receptor

intermediate-filaments

reactive gliosis

peptide c3a

c5a anaphylatoxins

secreted proteins

mouse models

activation

expression

Cell Biology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)