title: Morphological changes in cultured astrocytes following exposure to calcium ionophores.
abstract: Induced differentiation of cultured astrocytes to a process-bearing morphology has been described with a variety of agents known to increase intracellular cyclic AMP. The ionophores A23187 and ionomycin were found to induce a reversible change in astrocyte morphology to a process-bearing form. Cell death also occurs following exposure to either A23187 or ionomycin. This change in morphology which occurs following exposure to ionomycin in calcium- and serum-containing Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's medium also occurs in the absence of extracellular calcium. These findings suggest a role for other second messengers than cyclic AMP in controlling astrocyte morphology.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects; D000001:Calcimycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects; D004987:Ethers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015759:Ionomycin; D007476:Ionophores / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D004987:Ethers; D007476:Ionophores; D000001:Calcimycin; D015759:Ionomycin; D002118:Calcium