Pattern recognition receptors mediate pro-inflammatory effects of extracellular mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM)

Publication date: June 2018 Source:Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Volume 89 Author(s): Stephanie M. Schindler, Matthew G. Frank, Jessica L. Annis, Steven F. Maier, Andis Klegeris Neuroinflammation is a common pathogenic mechanism for a number of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, contribute to the onset and progression of the neuroinflammation observed in these diseases. Microglia become activated and initiate an inflammatory response by interacting with a diverse set of molecules, including the group of endogenous proteins released upon cell damage, termed damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). One of these molecules, mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), has been shown to induce pro-inflammatory and cytotoxic responses of microglia in vitro. Here, we demonstrate that TFAM injected into the cisterna magna of male Sprague-Dawley rats upregulates (i) the expression of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and nuclear factor-kappa B inhibitor alpha (NF-κBIA) in the hippocampus; (ii) the expression of MCP-1, IL-1β and TNF-α in the frontal cortex; and (iii) IL-1β protein concentration in both these brain regions. These same inflammatory mediators are upregulated in isolated rat microglia following their in vitro exposure to extracellular TFAM. Blocking the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) and...
Source: Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research