title: Seducing astrocytes to the dark side.
abstract: After injury and in disease of the central nervous system (CNS), local cells called astrocytes respond with diverse molecular changes whose functional consequences are incompletely understood. A combined genomic and experimental analysis shows that classically-activated microglia, which are innate immune cells resident in CNS neural tissue, release molecules that drive astrocytes into a neurotoxic state, raising important questions about potential adaptive and maladaptive functions of such a mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Burda
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sofroniew
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism