Abstract：
The relation of astrocytic endfeet to the vasculature plays a key functional role in the neuro-glia-vasculature unit. We characterize the spatial organization of astrocytes and the structural aspects that facilitate their involvement in molecular exchanges. Using double transgenic mice, we performed co-immunostaining, confocal microscopy, and three-dimensional digital segmentation to investigate the biophysical and molecular organization of astrocytes and their intricate endfoot network at the micrometer level in the isocortex and hippocampus. The results showed that hippocampal astrocytes had smaller territories, reduced endfoot dimensions, and fewer contacts with blood vessels compared with those in the isocortex. Additionally, we found that both connexins 43 and 30 have a higher density in the endfoot and the former is overexpressed relative to the latter. However, due to the limitations of the method, further studies are needed to determine the exact localization on the endfoot. The quantitative information obtained in this study will be useful for modeling the interactions of astrocytes with the vasculature.
摘要：
星形胶质细胞末端足与脉管系统的关系在神经胶质细胞脉管系统单元中起着关键的功能作用。我们描述了星形胶质细胞的空间组织和促进其参与分子交换的结构方面。使用双转基因小鼠，我们进行了联合免疫染色，共聚焦显微镜，和三维数字分割，以研究等皮质和海马中星形胶质细胞的生物物理和分子组织及其复杂的末端足网络。结果表明，海马星形胶质细胞具有较小的区域，减少的末端尺寸，与等皮层相比，与血管的接触更少。此外,我们发现连接蛋白43和30在足足有较高的密度，前者相对于后者是过表达的。然而,由于该方法的局限性，需要进一步的研究来确定足端的确切定位。在这项研究中获得的定量信息将有助于模拟星形胶质细胞与脉管系统的相互作用。
