Dissecting the immune response in the CNS: astrocytic response to interaction with leukocytes

ALBERTO JAVIER RAMOS; VERONICA MURTA

Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba

Congreso; XXXIV Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias; 2019

The old paradigm on CNS immune privilege has been reformulated and a role for peripheral immune system in CNS immune processes is accepted, although not completely understood. The view of astrocytes physiology has also shifted. There is a general consensus in that astrocyte population shows high degree of heterogeneity, as does its response to different pathological contexts. A more detailed comprehension of the response of CNS local immune cells to its peripheral counterparts is crucial for a global understanding of neuropathological processes. In the present work we used an in vitro co-culture model to study astrocytic response. To achieve this, we cocultured rat primary glial cells with acutely obtained leukocytes from naïve or rats exposed to brain ischemia which models stroke. Our results showed that when enriched astrocytic culture (95-98% GFAP+) contacted leukocytes (from either naïve or ischemic rats) there were no significant alterations in GFAP immunoreactivity reactivity or morphological phenotype. However, astrocytic cellular retraction and reorganization was evident, and scar-like structures were seen when leukocytes contacted mixed glial primary cultures that include microglia. Moreover, fixed leukocyte also induced this scar-like structures, indicating that surface molecules present in leukocytes might be enough to cause them. Using leukocytes from ischemic rats did not show significant differences. PICT 2015-1451; PICT 2017-2203, UBACYT, PIP CONICET 479