Developmental transition in plasticity properties of differentiating astrocytes: Age‐related biochemical profile of plasminogen activators in astroglial cultures
Authors: Kalderon Nurit , Ahonen Kenneth , Fedoroff Sergey 
Published: January 2005

Plasminogen activator (PA) is a key enzyme in control of the cascade of extracellular proteolytic activities, proteases that degrade the extracellular components. Mammalian cells produce two molecular forms of PA, the urokinase type (u‐PA) and the tissue type (t‐PA); the u‐PA type enzyme regulates cell migration/invasion and related tissue plasticity events. Thus, these plasticity properties of cells are defined by their PAs' biochemical profiles. The capacity of the differentiating glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS) to express and regulate the two types of PA activities has been examined as a function of cell age in culture. Results of the study suggest that only the immature astrocyte is endowed with these plasticity properties.

Differentiating heterogeneous rat glial cells in culture express PA activity. Astroglia were identified as the primary source for the glial PA activity, as no PA activity was detected in the purified oligodendroglia. Cellular PA activity levels of differentiating rat and mouse astroglia are developmentally regulated. The specific activity of PA reached its highest level in rat astroglia at a cell age corresponding to 20–32 postnatal days (P20–P32) and in mouse astroglia at P8–P14; thereafter, this declined (three‐ to fourfold decrease) within 2 weeks to a low value. At comparable ages (P0–P35), the magnitudes of the PA specific activities of the differentiating rat astroglia and of the developing cerebrum, the tissue from which these cells were purified, were similar.

Differentiating rat astroglia produce u‐PA and t‐PA, the cellular content of both is developmentally regulated, and the u‐PA form is only found in the immature cells. u‐PA is the predominant form in the immature astrocyte until age P13. Both forms are found in cells at ages P14–P30, and at later stages u‐PA disappears while the t‐PA type persists as the sole form. After 3 more weeks neither of the PA types was detected. Astroglia express also PA inhibitory activity; the rat astroglial PA inhibitor (PAI) seemed to be identical to PAI‐1, one of the known types of PAIs.

Stimulation of astroglial proliferation by their subculturing in contrast to Schwann cells did not lead to an increase; rather, beyond a certain cell age (P13) it resulted in a threefold irreversible decline in the PA specific activity of the daughter cells.

It has been established that various biochemical properties of CNS mature glia appear on schedule with cell age in culture, thus defining “mature” glia in vitro. According to our study, among differentiating and “mature” astroglial cells the immature astrocytes appear to be the sole source of the u‐PA molecular form and of high levels of PA activity. Astroglia are equipped with these plasticity tools in a limited developmental period, and upon maturation lose them altogether. Based on the known role of u‐PA in control of tissue plasticity processes, it is proposed that astroglia have a major role in regulating certain plasticity and/or remodeling processes in the developing and adult CNS.