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Cell-based Assay to Study Antibody-mediated Tau Clearance by Microglia

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Published on: November 9, 2018

Astroglia and Tau: New Perspectives.

Gabor G Kovacs^1,2,3

¹Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

|April 25, 2020

Summary

Astrocytes play a key role in neurodegenerative diseases like tauopathies. Different astrocytic tau pathologies, including aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), are identified and may indicate disease progression or response to injury.

Keywords:

ARTAG astroglia astrogliopathy neurodegeneration propagation proteinopathy tau

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Last Updated: Dec 23, 2025

Cell-based Assay to Study Antibody-mediated Tau Clearance by Microglia

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Isolation and Culture of Mouse Cortical Astrocytes

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Published on: January 19, 2013

Area of Science:

Neurobiology
Neuropathology
Cellular Biology

Background:

Astrocytes are crucial in neurodegenerative proteinopathies, influencing neuronal health and disease protein dynamics.
Protein astrogliopathies, particularly tau astrogliopathies, manifest in various neurodegenerative conditions.
Morphological classification of astrogliopathy is primarily used for tauopathies, with six distinct types identified.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the current understanding of astrocytic tau pathologies and their classification.
To explore the potential roles of different astrocytic tau morphologies in disease pathogenesis and progression.
To highlight the significance of aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG) and its characteristics.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on astrocytic tau pathologies.
Analysis of morphological classifications of astrogliopathies in tauopathies.
Comparison of astrocytic tau pathology features across different conditions like primary tauopathies, ARTAG, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Main Results:

Six types of astrocytic tau pathologies are distinguished: astrocytic plaques, tufted astrocytes, ramified astrocytes, globular astroglial inclusions, thorn-shaped astrocytes, and granular/fuzzy astrocytes.
Thorn-shaped astrocytes and granular/fuzzy astrocytes are key features of aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), found in various brain locations.
Astrocytic tau pathology can precede or occur independently of neuronal tau deposition and may be linked to disease propagation or responses to injury.

Conclusions:

The diverse morphologies of tau astrogliopathy suggest roles in pathological tau propagation, early neurodegenerative events, or responses to chronic insults like blood-brain barrier dysfunction.
The recognition of tau astrogliopathies and ARTAG has improved interdisciplinary communication and spurred research into the importance of astrocytic lesions in neurodegeneration.