Astrocyte arborization enhances Ca$^{2+}$ but not cAMP signaling plasticity

Pirnat, Samo (author), Božić, Mićo (author), Dolanc, Dorian (author), Horvat, Anemari (author), Tavčar Verdev, Petra (author), Vardjan, Nina (author), Verkhratsky, Alexei (author), Zorec, Robert (author), Stenovec, Matjaž (author)

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 Ca$^{2+}$ and cAMP signaling. The results revealed altered vesicle dynamics in arborized astrocytes that was associated with increased resting [Ca$^{2+}$]$_i$ and increased subcellular heterogeneity in [Ca$^{2+}$]$_i$, whereas [cAMP]$_i$ subcellular dynamics remained stable in both cultures, indicating that cAMP signaling is less prone to plastic remodeling than Ca$^{2+}$ signaling, possibly also in in vivo contexts.

• Language: English
• Keywords: astrocytes, vesicles, confocal microscopy, Ca$^{2+}$, cAMP, electrophysiology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: Str. 2899-2916
• Numbering: Vol. 69, iss. 12
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-144758
• UDC: 616-092
• ISSN on article: 0894-1491
• DOI: 10.1002/glia.24076
• COBISS.SI-ID: 73561091
• Publication date in RUL: 10.03.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Glia
• Shortened title: Glia
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0894-1491
• COBISS.SI-ID: 14837721

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: astrociti, vezikli, konfokalna mikroskopija