Chronically activated microglia in ALS gradually lose their immune functions and develop unconventional proteome.

Neuroinflammation and chronic activation of microglial cells are the prominent features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology. While alterations in the mRNA profile of diseased microglia have been well documented, the actual microglia proteome remains poorly characterized. Here we performed a functional characterization together with proteome analyses of microglial cells at different stages of disease in the SOD1-G93A model of ALS.

Dual Effect of Carnosine on ROS Formation in Rat Cultured Cortical Astrocytes.

Carnosine is composed of β-alanine and L-histidine and is considered to be an important neuroprotective agent with antioxidant, metal chelating, and antisenescence properties. However, children with serum carnosinase deficiency present increased circulating carnosine and severe neurological symptoms. We here investigated the in vitro effects of carnosine on redox and mitochondrial parameters in cultured cortical astrocytes from neonatal rats.

PD-1/PD-L1 blockade abrogates a dysfunctional innate-adaptive immune axis in critical β-coronavirus disease.

Severe COVID-19 is associated with hyperinflammation and weak T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2. However, the links between those processes remain partially characterized. Moreover, whether and how therapeutically manipulating T cells may benefit patients are unknown.

The pathogenic role of c-Kit+ mast cells in the spinal motor neuron-vascular niche in ALS.

Degeneration of motor neurons, glial cell reactivity, and vascular alterations in the CNS are important neuropathological features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Immune cells trafficking from the blood also infiltrate the affected CNS parenchyma and contribute to neuroinflammation. Mast cells (MCs) are hematopoietic-derived immune cells whose precursors differentiate upon migration into tissues.

Reactive astrocyte nomenclature, definitions, and future directions.

Reactive astrocytes are astrocytes undergoing morphological, molecular, and functional remodeling in response to injury, disease, or infection of the CNS. Although this remodeling was first described over a century ago, uncertainties and controversies remain regarding the contribution of reactive astrocytes to CNS diseases, repair, and aging. It is also unclear whether fixed categories of reactive astrocytes exist and, if so, how to identify them.