Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021, USA.
Neurochem Int. 2010 Nov;57(4):451-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuint.2010.02.007. Epub 2010 Feb 13.
Astrocytes can be considered as signal integrators in central nervous system activity. These glial cells can respond to signals from the heterocellular milieu of the brain and subsequently release various molecules to signal to themselves and/or other neighboring neural cells. An important functional module that enables signal integration in astrocytes is exocytosis, a Ca(2+)-dependent process consisting of vesicular fusion to the plasma membrane. Astrocytes utilize regulated exocytosis to release various signaling molecules stored in the vesicular lumen. Here we review the properties of exocytotic release of three classes of gliotransmitters: (i) amino acids, (ii) nucleotides and (iii) peptides. Vesicles may carry not only lumenal cargo, but also membrane-associated molecules. Therefore, we also discuss exocytosis as a delivery mechanism for transporters and receptors to the plasma membrane, where these proteins are involved in astrocytic intercellular signaling.
星形胶质细胞可以被视为中枢神经系统活动中的信号整合器。这些神经胶质细胞可以对来自大脑异质细胞环境的信号做出反应，然后释放各种分子来自身和/或其他邻近的神经细胞发出信号。使星形胶质细胞中的信号整合成为可能的一个重要功能模块是胞吐作用，这是一个依赖 Ca(2+)的过程，包括囊泡与质膜融合。星形胶质细胞利用受调控的胞吐作用释放储存在囊泡腔中的各种信号分子。在这里，我们回顾了三类神经递质的胞吐释放特性：（i）氨基酸，（ii）核苷酸和（iii）肽。囊泡不仅可以携带腔室内容物，还可以携带膜相关分子。因此，我们还讨论了胞吐作用作为将转运体和受体递送至质膜的一种输送机制，这些蛋白质参与星形胶质细胞的细胞间信号传递。
