Manganese stimulates stellation of cultured rat cortical astrocytes

We investigated the effect of manganese on the morphology of cultured rat cortical astrocytes. Astrocytes exhibited flattened, polygonal morphology in the absence of stimulation, and differentiated into process-bearing stellate cells following exposure to MnCl(2). MnCl(2)-induced stellation was a reversible process, which depended on the presence of extracellular free manganese. MnCl(2)-induced stellation did not stop with the introduction of pertussis toxin, PD98059, SB203580, phorbol 12-myristat 13-acetate, SQ22536, or LY83583. Alternatively, MnCl(2)-induced stellation did stop when exposed to colchicine and sodium orthovanadate, suggesting the involvement of the cytoskeletal elements and orthovanadate-sensitive protein tyrosine phosphatase. MnCl(2) might function as a factor regulating astrocyte morphology.