Culture and Phenotyping of Glial Cell Cultures, Gliospheres, and Neurospheres.

Cell cultures constitute an important tool for research as a way to reproduce pathological processes in a controlled system. However, the culture of brain-derived cells in monolayer presents significant challenges that obscure the fidelity of in vitro results. After a few number of passages, glial and neuronal cells begin to lose their morphological characteristics, and most importantly, their specific cellular markers and phenotype.

Neurospheres and Glial Cell Cultures; from Plating to Cell Phenotyping.

Cell cultures constitute an important tool for research as a way to reproduce pathological processes in a controlled system. However, the culture of brain-derived cells in monolayer presents significant challenges that obscure the fidelity of in vitro results. This is because after a few number of passages, glial and neuronal cells begin to lose their morphological characteristics, and most importantly, their specific cellular markers and phenotype.

JCPyV T-Antigen Activation of the Anti-Apoptotic Survivin Promoter-Its Role in the Development of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy.

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a fatal demyelinating disease of the CNS, resulting from the lytic infection of oligodendrocytes by the human neurotropic polyomavirus JC (JCPyV), typically associated with severe immunocompromised states and, in recent years, with the use of immunotherapies. Apoptosis is a homeostatic mechanism to dispose of senescent or damaged cells, including virally infected cells, triggered in the vast majority of viral infections of the brain. Previously, we showed upregulation of the normally dormant anti-apoptotic protein Survivin in cases of PML, which-in vitro-resulted in protection from apoptosis in JCPyV-infected primary cultures of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

HIV-1-Tat Protein Inhibits SC35-mediated Tau Exon 10 Inclusion through Up-regulation of DYRK1A Kinase.

The HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat is implicated in the neuronal damage that contributes to neurocognitive impairment affecting people living with HIV/AIDS. Aberrant splicing of TAU exon 10 results in tauopathies characterized by alterations in the proportion of TAU isoforms containing three (3R) or four (4R) microtubule-binding repeats. The splicing factor SC35/SRSF2 binds to nuclear RNA and facilitates the incorporation of exon 10 in the TAU molecule.

Activation of c-Myc and Cyclin D1 by JCV T-Antigen and β-catenin in colon cancer.

During the last decade, mounting evidence has implicated the human neurotropic virus JC virus in the pathology of colon cancer. However, the mechanisms of JC virus-mediated oncogenesis are still not fully determined. One candidate to mediate these effects is the viral early transcriptional product T-Antigen, which has the ability to inactivate cell cycle regulatory proteins such as p53.

Neurospheres and glial cell cultures: immunocytochemistry for cell phenotyping.

Cell cultures constitute an important tool for research as a way to reproduce pathological processes in a controlled system. However, the culture of brain-derived cells in monolayer presents significant challenges that obscure the fidelity of in vitro results. After a few number of passages, glial and neuronal cells begin to lose their morphological characteristics, and most importantly, their specific cellular markers and phenotype.