Event Abstract Back to Event Astrocyte-derived microvesicles: possible role in intercellullar communication Claudia Verderio1* 1 CNR Institute for Neuroscience, Italy Cells communicate and exchange informations by different secretory mechanisms. Among these, extracellular vesicles shed from the plasmamembrane are gaining increasing attention as efficient vehicles for release of signalling molecules. We have recently demonstrated that upon ATP exposure, cultured astrocytes shed microparticles, which contain and release the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1 beta and we have got insights into the mechanism of their shedding (Bianco et al., 2009, in press). Upon activation of the ATP receptor P2X7, microparticle shedding is associated with rapid activation of acid sphingomyelinase, which translocates to plasma membrane outer leaflet. ATP-induced shedding and IL-1 beta release are markedly reduced by inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase, and completely blocked in glial cultures from acid sphingomyelinase knockout mice. We also demostrate that p38 MAPK cascade is relevant for the whole process, since specific kinase inhibitors strongly reduce acid sphingomyelinase activation, microparticle shedding and IL-1 beta release. Besides representing an unconventional secretory pathway, microparticles released from glial cells demand further characterization as they represent new, still unexplored, organelles potentially mediating intercellular communication in the CNS. Our preliminary results indicate that microparticles shed from reactive glia can alter neuronal responsiveness to glutamate agonists, by increasing network excitability. Globally, our data represent the first demonstration that activation of acid sphingomyelinase is necessary and sufficient for microparticle release from glial cells, and define key molecular effectors of microparticle formation and IL-1 beta release, thus opening new strategies for treatment of neuro-inflammatory diseases. Conference: 3rd Mediterranean Conference of Neuroscience , Alexandria, Egypt, 13 Dec - 16 Dec, 2009. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Symposium10 – Neuron-glial communications in the normal and pathological brain Citation: Verderio C (2009). Astrocyte-derived microvesicles: possible role in intercellullar communication. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: 3rd Mediterranean Conference of Neuroscience . doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.01.2009.16.036 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 19 Nov 2009; Published Online: 19 Nov 2009. * Correspondence: Claudia Verderio, CNR Institute for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy, c.verderio@in.cnr.it Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Claudia Verderio Google Claudia Verderio Google Scholar Claudia Verderio PubMed Claudia Verderio Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.