Author/Editor     Pirnat, Samo; Božić, Mićo; Dolanc, Dorian; Horvat, Anemari; Tavčar, Petra; Vardjan, Nina; Verkhratsky, Alexei; Zorec, Robert; Stenovec, Matjaž
Title     Astrocyte arborization enhances Ca[sup]2+ but not cAMP signaling plasticity
Type     članek
Publication year     2021
Volume     str. str.
ISSN     0894-1491 - Glia
Language     eng
Abstract     The plasticity of astrocytes is fundamental for their principal function, maintaining homeostasis of the central nervous system throughout life, and is associated with diverse exposomal challenges. Here, we used cultured astrocytes to investigate at subcellular level basic cell processes under controlled environmental conditions. We compared astroglial functional and signaling plasticity in standard serum-containing growth medium, a condition mimicking pathologic conditions, and in medium without serum, favoring the acquisition of arborized morphology. Using opto%/electrophysiologic techniques, we examined cell viability, expression of astroglial markers, vesicle dynamics, and cytosolic Ca2+ and cAMP signaling. The results revealed altered vesicle dynamics in arborized astrocytes that was associated with increased resting [Ca2 +]i and increased subcellular heterogeneity in [Ca2+]i, whereas [cAMP]i subcellular dynamics remained stable in both cultures, indicating that cAMP signaling is less prone to plastic remodeling than Ca2+ signaling, possibly also in in vivo contexts.
Keywords     astrocytes
vesicles
confocal microscopy
astrociti
vezikli
konfokalna mikroskopija