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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Analyzing the Size, Shape, and Directionality of Networks of Coupled Astrocytes
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Analyzing the Size, Shape, and Directionality of Networks of Coupled Astrocytes

Published on: October 4, 2018

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Calcineurin Signalling in Astrocytes: From Pathology to Physiology and Control of Neuronal Functions

Dmitry Lim1, Laura Tapella2, Giulia Dematteis2

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro", Via Bovio 6, 28100, Novara, Italy. dmitry.lim@uniupo.it.

Neurochemical Research
|September 9, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Calcineurin (CaN) in astrocytes switches between regulating protein synthesis in healthy conditions and driving gene transcription in neuroinflammation. This highlights CaN

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Calcineurin (CaN) is a Ca2+/calmodulin-activated phosphatase crucial for cellular functions.
  • In astrocytes, CaN over-activation is linked to neuroinflammation in diseases like Alzheimer's.
  • Emerging evidence suggests physiological roles for CaN in astrocytes beyond transcription.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To overview the role of Ca2+ and CaN signaling in astroglial pathophysiology.
  • To focus on the emerging physiological functions of CaN in astrocytes.
  • To propose a model for context-dependent CaN activity in astrocytes.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review and synthesis of existing research on CaN signaling in astrocytes.
  • Analysis of CaN's role in both physiological and pathological conditions.
  • Conceptual modeling of CaN activity regulation.

Main Results:

  • CaN acts as a Ca2+-sensitive switch regulating protein dephosphorylation and gene transcription.
  • In physiological conditions, astrocytic CaN is transcription-independent, maintaining protein synthesis and Na+/K+ pump activity.
  • Pathological conditions involve CaN-dependent transcriptional remodeling in astrocytes.

Conclusions:

  • Astrocytic CaN plays a dual role, regulating proteostasis transcriptionally in disease and post-transcriptionally in health.
  • A model is proposed where CaN activity contextually shifts between regulating cell proteostasis and transcriptional activation.
  • Understanding CaN's dual role is key to targeting astroglial pathophysiology in neurological diseases.
Keywords:
AstrocytesCalcineurinEpilepsyMemoryNeuronal excitabilityProteostasis

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