[Astrocytes in Huntington's chorea: accomplice or guilty of the neuronal death?].
Huntington's disease is an hereditary dominant neurodegenerative disorder clinically characterised by progressive motor deficits, personality changes, decreased mental capacity and death after about 15-20 years. Most studies are based on the research of intrinsic mechanisms that could be responsible for dysfunction and later degeneration of neuronal subsets. It is only in the last five years that more interest has been focused on another brain cell type : the astrocytes. This review presents evidence that astroglial function is also affected in Huntington's disease. Among the possible mechanisms, Huntington's disease mutation may alter the EGF receptor signaling pathway, that regulates the astrocytic response to neuronal injuries.
Liévens
Jean-Charles
JC
Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille-Luminy, CNRS UMR 6216, Université de la Méditerranée, Campus de Luminy Case 907, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France. jean-charles.lievens@univmed.fr
Birman
Serge
S
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D000071058:Huntingtin Protein; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C086055:HTT protein, human; C499524:Htt protein, rat; D000071058:Huntingtin Protein; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010455:Peptides; C097188:polyglutamine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D066246:ErbB Receptors