Gram-positive bacterial infections of the central nervous system, such as meningitis, induce an extensive inflammatory response, which in turn may damage neurons. LTA (lipoteichoic acid) is a component of the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall that induces glial inflammatory activation in vitro and in vivo. It does so by binding to Toll-like receptor-2 on microglia and astrocytes, rapidly activating ERK1/2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2) and p38 MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases), causing NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) activation and leading to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (in synergy with muramyl dipeptide). LTA-activated microglia kill co-cultured neurons apparently via nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrite, which may induce apoptosis of neurons that are then phagocytosed by microglia.
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November 2007
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Conference Article|
October 25 2007
Neurodegeneration in models of Gram-positive bacterial infections of the central nervous system
J.J. Neher;
J.J. Neher
1
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email jjn24@cam.ac.uk).
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G.C. Brown
G.C. Brown
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QW, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
July 04 2007
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2007 Biochemical Society
2007
Biochem Soc Trans (2007) 35 (5): 1166–1167.
Article history
Received:
July 04 2007
Citation
J.J. Neher, G.C. Brown; Neurodegeneration in models of Gram-positive bacterial infections of the central nervous system. Biochem Soc Trans 1 November 2007; 35 (5): 1166–1167. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0351166
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