ABINEP M1-project 1: Importance of the astrocytes activation in neuropathological situations such as stroke and viral infections

Astrocytes play crucial roles in the brain and are involved in the neuroinflammatory response. They become reactive in response to virtually all pathological events such as ischemia, infection and neurodegenerative disease. Astrocyte reactivity was originally characterized by morphological changes and the overexpression of the intermediate filament glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). However it is unclear how the function of astrocytes is altered by their reactive state. By cell specific proteome labeling we will investigate how astrocytes change their function in the course of neuropathological situations, and how these changes influence the inflammatory response in the brain.
This project is part of the ABINEP program and will be conducetd together with Prof. Dr. Andrea Kröger (IMMB)