Reactive astrocyte nomenclature, definitions, and future directions

Abstract

Reactive astrocytes are astrocytes undergoing morphological, molecular, and functional remodeling in response to injury, disease, or infection of the CNS. Although this remodeling was first described over a century ago, uncertainties and controversies remain regarding the contribution of reactive astrocytes to CNS diseases, repair, and aging. It is also unclear whether fixed categories of reactive astrocytes exist and, if so, how to identify them. We point out the shortcomings of binary divisions of reactive astrocytes into good-vs-bad, neurotoxic-vs-neuroprotective or A1-vs-A2. We advocate, instead, that research on reactive astrocytes include assessment of multiple molecular and functional parameters-preferably in vivo-plus multivariate statistics and determination of impact on pathological hallmarks in relevant models. These guidelines may spur the discovery of astrocyte-based biomarkers as well as astrocyte-targeting therapies that abrogate detrimental actions of reactive astrocytes, potentiate their neuro- and glioprotective actions, and restore or augment their homeostatic, modulatory, and defensive functions.

Keywords

Affiliated Institutions

• Kyushu University JP
• Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RU
• University of Gothenburg SE
• University of Wisconsin–Madison US
• Harvard University US
• University of Kentucky US
• Université de Poitiers FR
• University of Ljubljana SI
• University of Alabama at Birmingham US
• Helmholtz Zentrum München DE
• UK Dementia Research Institute GB
• Virginia Tech US
• King Abdullah University of Science and Technology SA
• Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie FR
• Biomedical Research Institute US
• University of Copenhagen DK
• Rigshospitalet DK
• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf DE
• University of Minnesota US
• Utrecht University NL
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health US
• University Hospital Bonn DE
• Columbia University US
• Celica (Slovenia) SI
• University of Freiburg DE
• Institut Pasteur de Montevideo UY
• University Medical Center Utrecht NL
• Université Paris-Saclay FR
• Université Paris Sciences et Lettres FR
• KU Leuven BE
• University of Cambridge GB
• Nihon University JP
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston US
• Wellcome/MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute GB
• University Medical Center Freiburg DE
• National Research Council IT
• McGill University Health Centre CA
• Collège de France FR
• Max Delbrück Center DE
• Sechenov University RU
• Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío ES
• Neurosciences Institute US
• Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats ES
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona ES
• Third Dimension Technologies (United States) US
• University of California, San Diego US
• Université de Bordeaux FR
• Georgia Institute of Technology US
• Chica and Heinz Schaller Foundation DE
• Hôpital de Cery CH
• University of California, San Francisco US
• Heidelberg University DE
• Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave PT
• University of Lausanne CH
• Neuroscience Institute IT
• University of Rochester Medical Center US
• Children's National US
• University of California, Los Angeles US
• Universidad de Sevilla ES
• Johns Hopkins Medicine US
• Trinity College Dublin IE
• University of Minho PT
• University of Manchester GB
• University of Padua IT
• King's College London GB
• University of Bonn DE
• Vollum Institute US
• Broad Institute US
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München DE
• CEA Paris-Saclay FR
• Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology DE
• University of Edinburgh GB
• Universidad de Málaga ES
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique FR
• Massachusetts General Hospital US
• University of Yamanashi JP
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul BR
• Ikerbasque ES
• Institute for Basic Science KR
• Université de Strasbourg FR
• Oregon Health & Science University US
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US
• Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives FR
• Brigham and Women's Hospital US
• Discovery Institute US
• Instituto Cajal ES
• The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering US
• University of British Columbia CA
• VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research BE
• Baylor College of Medicine US
• German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DE
• Tufts University US
• Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives FR
• Tel Aviv University IL
• Inserm FR
• Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga ES
• Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience ES
• Center for Neurosciences US
• Neurocentre Magendie FR
• Salk Institute for Biological Studies US
• Johns Hopkins University US
• University of Portsmouth GB
• Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla ES

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