title: Upregulation of F-actin and alpha-actinin in reactive astrocytes.
abstract: We have shown previously that in tissue culture stellate astrocytes downregulate F-actin and actin binding proteins (ABPs) (Abd-El-Basset et al.: J Neurosci Res 30:1-17, 1991), whereas the reactive-like astrocytes upregulate their F-actin (Fedoroff et al.: Neuroscience 22:255-266, 1987). In the present study we report that in normal brain, as in tissue culture, neither F-actin nor alpha-actinin (an ABP) could be detected in stellate astrocytes. When a stab wound was made in brain, F-actin and alpha-actinin were upregulated in reactive astrocytes. We also demonstrated that reactive-like astrocytes in tissue culture express alpha-actinin, which has a "dotted" appearance when immunostained, and is colocalized with F-actin in a specific arrangement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kuwait. State of Kuwait.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Abd-El-Basset
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fedoroff
mesh_terms: D000185:Actinin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000906:Antibodies; D000185:Actinin