Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Is tissue-type plasminogen activator a neuromodulator?

Mónica Fernández-Monreal1, José P López-Atalaya, Karim Benchenane

  • 1University of Caen, CNRS, 14047, Caen, France.

Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences
|April 15, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) acts as a neuromodulator in the brain. Released t-PA influences NMDA receptor signaling, and astrocytes recapture it via LRP.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Heterogeneity of Clazosentan Benefit after Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Demonstrated in an Externally Validated Causal Policy Tree.

Neurocritical care·2026
Same author

Neutrophil-Mimetic MRI Enables Ultra-Early Detection of Vascular Inflammation After Stroke.

Advanced healthcare materials·2026
Same author

Bedside three-dimensional acoustic angiography and perfusion monitoring in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Critical care (London, England)·2026
Same author

Brain neurovascular unit biomarkers: a hypothesis-driven paradigm to advance understanding of post-cardiac arrest cerebral injury.

Annals of intensive care·2026
Same author

Pre-analytical stability of blood samples transported by drone versus ground: a pilot study.

Practical laboratory medicine·2026
Same author

Inhibition of tPA-NMDAR interaction prevents neurovascular and functional deficits induced by organophosphorus nerve agents.

Cell death and differentiation·2026

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Serine proteases are crucial in mammalian brain function and disease.
  • Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) is implicated in neural development, plasticity, and pathology.
  • The precise mechanism of t-PA's action in the nervous system requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of t-PA as a neuromodulator.
  • To explore the regulation and function of released t-PA in neuronal signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Pharmacological approaches to modulate t-PA activity.
  • Immunological methods to detect and quantify t-PA.
  • Assessment of NMDA receptor signaling.
  • Investigation of astrocyte t-PA uptake mechanisms.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Neuronal depolarization triggers the release of t-PA.
  • t-PA release is dependent on exocytosis and calcium.
  • Released t-PA modulates NMDA receptor signaling pathways.
  • Astrocytes recapture extracellular t-PA via low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP).

Conclusions:

  • t-PA functions as a neuromodulator in the brain.
  • Neuronal activity regulates t-PA release, impacting synaptic function.
  • Astrocyte-mediated t-PA clearance is a key regulatory mechanism.