Sc. Schwarz et al., MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION IN MULTIPLE SYSTEM ATROPHY - A POTENTIAL ROLE FOR NF-KAPPA-B REL PROTEINS/, NeuroReport, 9(13), 1998, pp. 3029-3032
MICROGLIAL activation is a prominent feature of affected brain areas i
n multiple system atrophy. Microglia express proinflammatory peptides,
which may be a result of activation of nuclear factor-kappa B. We inv
estigated the nuclear presence of RelA, the 65 kDa subunit of the NF-k
appa B/RelA family in striatum and brain stem of patients with multipl
e system atrophy. Affected brain areas of patients with multiple syste
m atrophy showed a marked immunoreactivity for nuclear Rel A p65, whic
h was almost exclusively localized in activated microglia. Interesting
ly nuclear translocation of Rel A was not detected in striatal tissue
of controls and Parkinson disease patients. Thus, NF-kappa B/Rel A com
plexes may play a role in mediating microglial activation in multiple
system atrophy. NeuroReport 9: 3029-3032 (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.