Characterization of astroglial clonal responses in experimental animal models of brain injury

• Grant number: 19/09183-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 22, 2019
• End date: July 21, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Marimélia Aparecida Porcionatto
• Grantee: Lina Maria Delgado Garcia
• Supervisor: Laura Lopez Mascaraque
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Instituto Cajal, Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 16/19084-8 - Crosstalk among Wnt, SHH and Notch and the efect of Gal3 protein on the regulation of the proliferation of derived-neural stem cells reactive astrocytes, BP.DR

Abstract

Astrocytes are the first line of cellular response after a brain injury. To fulfil this role, astrocytes undergo a wide variety of alterations in gene expression and phenotype. Increasing evidence indicates that neurogenesis may have a regenerative role in response to brain injury and disease. Moreover, it has been suggested that, activation of signaling mechanisms regulating adult neural stem cells alone is enough to drive neurogenesis and neuroprotection. Given these scenarios, the purpose of this research project is to study astroglial clonal response and progeny identity using the StarTrack system in experimental animal models of brain injury. First, the StarTrack plasmid mixture will be transfected by in utero electroporation to label cells for tracking after induction of brain injury in adult mice. The injury models will be Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) and the cuprizone model for demyelinitation, followed by astroglial clonal response analysis. Finally, we will evaluate SOX2 immunolabeling, spatial distribution and relation with the astrocyte-derived clones.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ASTIZ, MARIANA; DELGADO-GARCIA, LINA MARIA; LOPEZ-MASCARAQUE, LAURA. Astrocytes as essential time-keepers of the central pacemaker. Glia, NOV 2021. (16/19084-8, 19/09183-7)