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Glial Reactivity in Response to Neurotoxins: Relevance and Methods

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Cell Culture Techniques

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 145))

Abstract

Microglia and astrocytes become activated in response to diverse toxic exposures, regardless of the cellular or molecular targets affected; biomarkers of these responses, therefore, can be used to detect and localize damage to any area of the CNS. A variety of cellular and molecular markers of reactive microglia and astrocytes have been implemented to reveal all types of neural injuries, including those caused by chemical insults of the CNS. Recent advances in approaches to evaluate the cell-specific transcriptome in the CNS allow for an expansion of the existing repertoire of glial activation biomarkers. Here, we show how the approach we used to validate assays of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as a biomarker of astrogliosis can be extended to a cell signaling-based assay via phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). We also introduce new methods to assess cell type-specific gene expression, glial-specific pharmacological inhibition, and genetic manipulation that can be used to evaluate glial reactivity, with the overall goal of defining the microglial and astroglial activation phenotype that results from exposures to broad classes of neurotoxicants.

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Acknowledgments

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Effects Laboratory Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Lindsay T. Michalovicz & James P. O’Callaghan

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  1. Lindsay T. Michalovicz
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  2. James P. O’Callaghan
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Correspondence to Lindsay T. Michalovicz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

    Michael Aschner

  2. Department of Environment/STE 100, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Lucio Costa

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Michalovicz, L.T., O’Callaghan, J.P. (2019). Glial Reactivity in Response to Neurotoxins: Relevance and Methods. In: Aschner, M., Costa, L. (eds) Cell Culture Techniques. Neuromethods, vol 145. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9228-7_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9228-7_4

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

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