title: Molecular diversity of astrocytes with implications for neurological disorders.
abstract: The astrocyte represents the most abundant yet least understood cell type of the CNS. Here, we use a stringent experimental strategy to molecularly define the astrocyte lineage by integrating microarray datasets across several in vitro model systems of astrocyte differentiation, primary astrocyte cultures, and various astrocyterich CNS structures. The intersection of astrocyte data sets, coupled with the application of nonastrocytic exclusion filters, yielded many astrocyte-specific genes possessing strikingly varied patterns of regional CNS expression. Annotation of these astrocyte-specific genes provides direct molecular documentation of the diverse physiological roles of the astrocyte lineage. This global perspective in the normal brain also provides a framework for how astrocytes may participate in the pathogenesis of common neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, epilepsy, and primary brain tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology , Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bachoo
authors.forename: Ryung S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Keith L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Ligon
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.forename: Cameron
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Billings
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Rowitch
authors.forename: Wing H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Ronald A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: DePinho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D051379:Mice; D005810:Multigene Family; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers