Altogen Biosystems In Vitro Astrocyte Transfection Tutorial
Neuronal cells and glial cells are the two major cell types that comprise the human brain. Neurons are what transmit nerve signals and glial cells safeguard neurons. Astrocytes are a star-shaped subtype of supportive glial cells which comprise 50% of brain cells and are also found in the spinal cord. Astrocytes are involved in various processes including supporting the blood-brain barrier, providing nerve tissue with nutrients, regulating extracellular potassium levels, removal of neurotransmitters, and traumatic injury repair. Gliosis is a stress response when the central nervous system is damaged; this process induces rapid glial cell differentiation in order to provide mechanical support to neuronal cells. Various types of brain cancers have the symptom of excessive gliosis. Research into astrocytes and how to target them has provided insight on how to suppress brain tumors. A 2016 Tumor Biology study reported that astrocytes partially control brain tumor microenvironment as well as delay immune system detection of brain cancer cells. Astrocytes also have potential for investigating general neuroscience, gene therapy studies, and treatments for spinal cord injuries. Exogenous nucleic acid transfection is a common research technique, although this often comes with issues such as low efficiency and cytotoxicity. Altogen Biosystems’ kits are designed for specific cell types to optimize efficiency and minimize toxicity.
Altogen Biosystems offers pre-optimized lipid based astrocyte transfection kits available at:
https://altogen.com/product/astrocyte...