GDF15 promotes simultaneous astrocyte remodeling and tight junction strengthening at the blood-brain barrier.

Perivascular astrocyte processes (PAP) surround cerebral endothelial cells (ECs) and modulate the strengthening of tight junctions to influence blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Morphologically altered astrocytes may affect barrier properties and trigger the onset of brain pathologies. However, astrocyte-dependent mediators of these events remain poorly studied.

Minocycline alters behavior, microglia and the gut microbiome in a trait-anxiety-dependent manner.

Major depressive disorder is the main cause of disability worldwide with imperfect treatment options. However, novel therapeutic approaches are currently discussed, from augmentation strategies to novel treatments targeting the immune system or the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Therefore, we examined the potential beneficial effects of minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic with pleiotropic, immunomodulatory action, alone or as augmentation of escitalopram on behavior, prefrontal microglial density, and the gut microbiome in rats selectively bred for high anxiety-like behavior (HAB).

Native Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (N-ChIP) in Primary Cortical Rat Astrocytes.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) in conjunction with qPCR or next generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) is used to detect protein-DNA interaction. Typically, DNA bound to a protein of interest is captured with an antibody against this protein, and DNA is then purified from DNA-protein complexes. Here, we describe a native Chromatin immunoprecipitation (N-ChIP) approach which is an efficient ChIP method with high resolution for histone modifications and a number of transcription factors.

The Blood-Brain Barrier and the EphR/Ephrin System: Perspectives on a Link Between Neurovascular and Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

Interactions among endothelial cells (EC) forming blood vessels and their surrounding cell types are essential to establish the blood-brain barrier (BBB), an integral part of the neurovascular unit (NVU). Research on the NVU has recently seen a renaissance to especially understand the neurobiology of vascular and brain pathologies and their frequently occurring comorbidities. Diverse signaling molecules activated in the near proximity of blood vessels trigger paracellular pathways which regulate the formation and stabilization of tight junctions (TJ) between EC and thereby influence BBB permeability.