Work

Astroglial morphological alterations associated with loss of nuclear S100A10 in the hippocampus of male tree shrews during aging

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Astrocytes are glial cells that participate in multiple physiological functions, including protecting neurons against damage. However, some astrocytes undergo morphological alterations during aging, such as changes in process length and complexity. These morphological changes impact the astrocyte´s physiological functions. To better understand astrocyte alterations during aging, we used a long-lived animal, the tree shrew ( Tupaia belangeri ). Adult (3.8 years old, yo) and old (7 yo) male tree shrews were used to analyze the morphology of GFAP + astrocytes in the hippocampal formation. The total number of GFAP + astrocytes was similar between adult and old tree shrews in different hippocampal sub-regions. However, in the dentate gyrus (DG) and CA2-CA1, astrocytes had an increased process length in old animals compared to adults, denoting a hypertrophic phenotype. On the contrary, in CA3, astrocytes had an atrophic phenotype in old animals. Increased oxidative RNA damage was found in most astrocytes across all sub-regions analyzed during aging. S100A10, a protein overexpressed by astrocytes with a neuroprotective function, was primarily found in the nucleus of hypertrophic astrocytes in adult and elderly subjects, except in the subiculum (SUB). In old animals, a lack of S100A10, or S100A10 located in the cytoplasmic compartment along Crm-1 (transnuclear membrane protein that facilitates the transport of multiple proteins), characterized the atrophic GFAP + phenotype. These results demonstrate that tree shrews exhibit distinct astroglial morphological alterations in the hippocampal subregions during aging, and the transport of S100A10 from the nucleus to the cytoplasmic compartment may be related to the process of atrophy in astrocytes.

Source: Glial health research.

DOI: 10.1016/j.ghres.2025.100008

Authors: Juan de Dios Rodriguez-Callejas, Mariangel Irene-Fierro, Sara Gloria Aguilar-Navarro, Eberhard Fuchs, Claudia Perez-Cruz

Institutions: Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, German Primate Center

Language: English

Topic: Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms

Subfield: Neurology

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $1,950