Open AccessGlial Fibrillary Acidic Protein: Regulation by Hormones, Cytokines, and Growth Factors
Author(s) -
Laping Nicholas J.,
Teter Bruce,
Nichols Nancy R.,
Rozovsky Irina,
Finch Caleb E.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
brain pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.986
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1750-3639
pISSN - 1015-6305
DOI - 10.1111/j.1750-3639.1994.tb00841.x
Subject(s) - glial fibrillary acidic protein , astrocyte , gfap stain , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , intermediate filament , regulation of gene expression , gene expression , neuroscience , gene , central nervous system , immunology , immunohistochemistry , cell , biochemistry , cytoskeleton
Levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an astrocyte‐specific intermediate filament protein, are altered during development and aging, GFAP also responds dynamically to neurodegenerative lesions. Changes in GFAP expression can occur at both transcriptional and translational levels. Modulators of GFAP expression include steroids, cytokines, and growth factors. GFAP expression also shows brain region‐specific responses to sex steroids and of astrocyte‐neuronal interactions. The 5′‐upstream sequences of rat, mouse, and human are compared for the presence of response elements that are candidates for transcriptional regulation of GFAP. We propose that the regulation of the GFAP gene has evolved a system of controls that allow integrated responses to neuroendocrine and inflammatory modulators.