IL-1-regulated responses in astrocytes: Relevance to injury and recovery

In the central nervous system (CNS), the cellular processes of astrocytes make intimate contact with essentially all areas of the brain. They have also been shown to be functionally coupled to neurons, oligodendrocytes, and other astrocytes via both contact-dependent and non-contact-dependent pathways. These observations have led to the suggestion that a major function of astrocytes in the CNS is to maintain the homeostatic environment, thus promoting the proper functioning of the neuronal network. Inflammation in the CNS disrupts this process either transiently or permanently and, as such, is thought to be tightly regulated by both astrocytes and microglia. The remarkable role that single cytokines, such as TNF and IL-1, may play in this process has now been well accepted, but the extent of the reprogramming of the transcriptional machinery initiated by these factors remains to be fully appreciated. With the advent of microarray technology, a more comprehensive analysis of this process is now available. In this report we review data obtained with this technology to provide an overview of the extent of changes induced in astrocytes by the cytokine IL-1.