title: Microglia and the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor/uPA system in innate brain inflammation.
abstract: The urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor (uPAR) is a GPI-linked cell surface protein that facilitates focused plasmin proteolytic activity at the cell surface. uPAR has been detected in macrophages infiltrating the central nervous system (CNS) and soluble uPAR has been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid during a number of CNS pathologies. However, its expression by resident microglial cells in vivo remains uncertain. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the murine CNS expression of uPAR and uPA as well as that of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) during insults generating distinct and well-characterized inflammatory responses; acute intracerebral lipopolysaccharide (LPS), acute kainate-induced neurodegeneration, and chronic neurodegeneration induced by prion disease inoculation. All three insults induced marked expression of uPAR at both mRNA and protein level compared to controls (naïve, saline, or control inoculum-injected). uPAR expression was microglial in all cases. Conversely, uPA transcription and activity was only markedly increased during chronic neurodegeneration. Dissociation of uPA and uPAR levels in acute challenges is suggestive of additional proteolysis-independent roles for uPAR. PAI-1 was most highly expressed upon LPS challenge, whereas tissue plasminogen activator mRNA was constitutively present and less responsive to all insults studied. These data are novel and suggest much wider involvement of the uPAR/uPA system in CNS function and pathology than previously supposed.
authors.affiliation: FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, 20139 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Orla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Campion
authors.forename: V Hugh
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Nicolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sidenius
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Docagne
authors.forename: Colm
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cunningham
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D011328:Prions / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D011328:Prions; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D055293:Receptors, Urokinase Plasminogen Activator; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; D007608:Kainic Acid