title: A role for thrombospondin-1 deficits in astrocyte-mediated spine and synaptic pathology in Down's syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Down's syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of mental retardation. Reduced number and aberrant architecture of dendritic spines are common features of DS neuropathology. However, the mechanisms involved in DS spine alterations are not known. In addition to a relevant role in synapse formation and maintenance, astrocytes can regulate spine dynamics by releasing soluble factors or by physical contact with neurons. We have previously shown impaired mitochondrial function in DS astrocytes leading to metabolic alterations in protein processing and secretion. In this study, we investigated whether deficits in astrocyte function contribute to DS spine pathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a human astrocyte/rat hippocampal neuron coculture, we found that DS astrocytes are directly involved in the development of spine malformations and reduced synaptic density. We also show that thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1), an astrocyte-secreted protein, possesses a potent modulatory effect on spine number and morphology, and that both DS brains and DS astrocytes exhibit marked deficits in TSP-1 protein expression. Depletion of TSP-1 from normal astrocytes resulted in dramatic changes in spine morphology, while restoration of TSP-1 levels prevented DS astrocyte-mediated spine and synaptic alterations. Astrocyte cultures derived from TSP-1 KO mice exhibited similar deficits to support spine formation and structure than DS astrocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that human astrocytes promote spine and synapse formation, identify astrocyte dysfunction as a significant factor of spine and synaptic pathology in the DS brain, and provide a mechanistic rationale for the exploration of TSP-1-based therapies to treat spine and synaptic pathology in DS and other neurological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Octavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Helguera
authors.forename: Pinar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Busciglio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000378:metabolism; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000473:pathology*; D019700:Thrombospondin 1 / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019700:Thrombospondin 1