title: Sphingosine 1-phosphate signaling in astrocytes: Implications for progressive multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent attacks against the central nervous system. After many years, certain patients enter a progressive disease phase, characterized by steady clinical deterioration. However, in 10-15% of patients, the disease is progressive from the beginning, and thus diagnosed as Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Unlike relapsing-remitting forms, progressive MS lacks effective therapy. Astrocytes are a major component of glial cells and are now thought to play a role in disease progression. Sphingosine 1-phophate is a molecule with extensive receptor expression on both immune and glial cells and is also a target of fingolimod, a drug used in relapsing remitting patients that sequesters lymphocytes within lymph nodes. However, because sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors are also expressed in astrocytes, and also because modification of this pathway has shown interesting benefits in animal models of Multiple Sclerosis, this astrocyte pathway has become an interesting target for developing potential new therapeutic approaches for Multiple Sclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mauricio F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Farez
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Raúl Carrea Institute for Neurological Research (FLENI), Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: jcorreale@fleni.org.ar.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Correale
mesh_terms: D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008246:Lysophospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008246:Lysophospholipids; C060506:sphingosine 1-phosphate; D013110:Sphingosine
keywords: Astrocytes; Glial scar; Multiple sclerosis; Multiple sclerosis progression; Myelin; Sphingosine 1-phosphate