1
|
Ravi K, Paidas MJ, Saad A, Jayakumar AR. Astrocytes in rare neurological conditions: Morphological and functional considerations. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2676-2705. [PMID: 33496339 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes are a population of central nervous system (CNS) cells with distinctive morphological and functional characteristics that differ within specific areas of the brain and are widely distributed throughout the CNS. There are mainly two types of astrocytes, protoplasmic and fibrous, which differ in morphologic appearance and location. Astrocytes are important cells of the CNS that not only provide structural support, but also modulate synaptic activity, regulate neuroinflammatory responses, maintain the blood-brain barrier, and supply energy to neurons. As a result, astrocytic disruption can lead to widespread detrimental effects and can contribute to the pathophysiology of several neurological conditions. The characteristics of astrocytes in more common neuropathologies such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease have significantly been described and continue to be widely studied. However, there still exist numerous rare neurological conditions in which astrocytic involvement is unknown and needs to be explored. Accordingly, this review will summarize functional and morphological changes of astrocytes in various rare neurological conditions based on current knowledge thus far and highlight remaining neuropathologies where astrocytic involvement has yet to be investigated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karthik Ravi
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Michael J Paidas
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Ali Saad
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Arumugam R Jayakumar
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.,South Florida VA Foundation for Research and Education Inc, Miami, Florida, USA.,General Medical Research Neuropathology Section, R&D Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Centre, Miami, Florida, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Khimchenko A, Bikis C, Pacureanu A, Hieber SE, Thalmann P, Deyhle H, Schweighauser G, Hench J, Frank S, Müller‐Gerbl M, Schulz G, Cloetens P, Müller B. Hard X-Ray Nanoholotomography: Large-Scale, Label-Free, 3D Neuroimaging beyond Optical Limit. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2018; 5:1700694. [PMID: 29938163 PMCID: PMC6010902 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201700694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
There have been great efforts on the nanoscale 3D probing of brain tissues to image subcellular morphologies. However, limitations in terms of tissue coverage, anisotropic resolution, stain dependence, and complex sample preparation all hinder achieving a better understanding of the human brain functioning in the subcellular context. Herein, X-ray nanoholotomography is introduced as an emerging synchrotron radiation-based technology for large-scale, label-free, direct imaging with isotropic voxel sizes down to 25 nm, exhibiting a spatial resolution down to 88 nm. The procedure is nondestructive as it does not require physical slicing. Hence, it allows subsequent imaging by complementary techniques, including histology. The feasibility of this 3D imaging approach is demonstrated on human cerebellum and neocortex specimens derived from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks. The obtained results are compared to hematoxylin and eosin stained histological sections and showcase the ability for rapid hierarchical neuroimaging and automatic rebuilding of the neuronal architecture at the level of a single cell nucleolus. The findings indicate that nanoholotomography can complement microscopy not only by large isotropic volumetric data but also by morphological details on the sub-100 nm level, addressing many of the present challenges in brain tissue characterization and probably becoming an important tool in nanoanatomy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Khimchenko
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| | - Christos Bikis
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| | - Alexandra Pacureanu
- ID16A‐NI Nano‐Imaging BeamlineEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)38043GrenobleFrance
| | - Simone E. Hieber
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| | - Peter Thalmann
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| | - Hans Deyhle
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| | - Gabriel Schweighauser
- Institute of PathologyDepartment of NeuropathologyBasel University Hospital4056BaselSwitzerland
| | - Jürgen Hench
- Institute of PathologyDepartment of NeuropathologyBasel University Hospital4056BaselSwitzerland
| | - Stephan Frank
- Institute of PathologyDepartment of NeuropathologyBasel University Hospital4056BaselSwitzerland
| | - Magdalena Müller‐Gerbl
- Musculoskeletal Research GroupDepartment of BiomedicineUniversity of Basel4056BaselSwitzerland
| | - Georg Schulz
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| | - Peter Cloetens
- ID16A‐NI Nano‐Imaging BeamlineEuropean Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)38043GrenobleFrance
| | - Bert Müller
- Biomaterials Science Center (BMC)Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of Basel4123AllschwilSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Assfalg R, Alupei MC, Wagner M, Koch S, Gonzalez OG, Schelling A, Scharffetter-Kochanek K, Iben S. Cellular sensitivity to UV-irradiation is mediated by RNA polymerase I transcription. PLoS One 2017. [PMID: 28636660 PMCID: PMC5479586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleolus has long been considered to be a pure ribosome factory. However, over the last two decades it became clear that the nucleolus is involved in numerous other functions besides ribosome biogenesis. Our experiments indicate that the activity of RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcription monitors the integrity of the DNA and influences the response to nucleolar stress as well as the rate of survival. Cells with a repressed ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription activity showed an increased and prolonged p53 stabilisation after UVC-irradiation. Furthermore, p53 stabilisation after inhibition and especially after UVC-irradiation might be due to abrogation of the HDM2-p53 degradation pathway by ribosomal proteins (RPs). Apoptosis mediated by highly activated p53 is a typical hallmark of Cockayne syndrome cells and transcriptional abnormalities and the following activation of the RP-HDM2-p53 pathway would be a possible explanation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Assfalg
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marius Costel Alupei
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Maximilian Wagner
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sylvia Koch
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Omar Garcia Gonzalez
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Adrian Schelling
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Sebastian Iben
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Hieber SE, Bikis C, Khimchenko A, Schweighauser G, Hench J, Chicherova N, Schulz G, Müller B. Tomographic brain imaging with nucleolar detail and automatic cell counting. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32156. [PMID: 27581254 PMCID: PMC5007499 DOI: 10.1038/srep32156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain tissue evaluation is essential for gaining in-depth insight into its diseases and disorders. Imaging the human brain in three dimensions has always been a challenge on the cell level. In vivo methods lack spatial resolution, and optical microscopy has a limited penetration depth. Herein, we show that hard X-ray phase tomography can visualise a volume of up to 43 mm3 of human post mortem or biopsy brain samples, by demonstrating the method on the cerebellum. We automatically identified 5,000 Purkinje cells with an error of less than 5% at their layer and determined the local surface density to 165 cells per mm2 on average. Moreover, we highlight that three-dimensional data allows for the segmentation of sub-cellular structures, including dendritic tree and Purkinje cell nucleoli, without dedicated staining. The method suggests that automatic cell feature quantification of human tissues is feasible in phase tomograms obtained with isotropic resolution in a label-free manner.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simone E Hieber
- Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Christos Bikis
- Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Anna Khimchenko
- Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Gabriel Schweighauser
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Basel, Schönbeinstrasse 40, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jürgen Hench
- Institute of Pathology, Department of Neuropathology, University Hospital of Basel, Schönbeinstrasse 40, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Chicherova
- Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland.,Medical Image Analysis Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Georg Schulz
- Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | - Bert Müller
- Biomaterials Science Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 14, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|