Combinatorial effects of amyloid beta and cytokines on primary human astrocytes

Natural functions of the amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide are incompletely understood. We studied the effects nanomolar concentrations of Aβ in combination with known pro-inflammatory cytokines on primary human astrocytes, a cell type increasingly implicated in neurodegeneration. RNA-seq was performed to profile changes in astrocyte transcriptomes in response to high and low concentration Aβ alone, as well as low concentration Aβ and/or the cytokines C1q, TNF-α and IL-1α. Experiments were performed in triplicate within cells from one donor/supplier, and in triplicate using cells from three different donors/suppliers (to identify conserved biological responses). PolyA RNA isolated and purified from flash-frozen primary human astrocytes treated with high (1 µM) or low (10 nM) dose Aβ and/or 10 nm cytokines C1q, TNF-α or IL-1α.