Transcriptome analysis of senescent and reactive human fetal astrocytes

Senescence was recently linked to neurodegeneration. Senescent as well as reactive astrocytes were detected in Parkinson’s disease postmortem brains. This study aimed to determine differences and similarities between senescent and reactive astrocytes. Astrocytes were treated with the stressors hydrogen peroxide or rotenone to induce senescence or with the cytokines TNFa+IL1a or with IL1b to induce reactivity in astrocytes. Comparing the transcriptome of senescent and reactive astrocytes revealed a set of genes specific to senescent astrocytes together with genes regulated in a similar way in both astrocyte states.

细胞衰老（Senescence）近期被证实与神经退行性变存在关联。研究人员在帕金森病（Parkinson’s disease）死后脑组织中检测到了衰老星形胶质细胞与反应性星形胶质细胞。本研究旨在明确衰老星形胶质细胞与反应性星形胶质细胞之间的异同点。研究人员分别采用应激因子过氧化氢（hydrogen peroxide）或鱼藤酮（rotenone）处理星形胶质细胞以诱导其衰老，或使用细胞因子肿瘤坏死因子α+白细胞介素1α（TNFα+IL1α）或白细胞介素1β（IL1β）处理星形胶质细胞以诱导其反应性活化。通过对比两类星形胶质细胞的转录组（transcriptome），本研究鉴定出了一批衰老星形胶质细胞特异性基因，以及在两种星形胶质细胞状态下表达调控模式相似的基因。