Cytosolic phospholipase A(2) and the distinct transcriptional programs of astrocytoma cells

Astrocytes constitute the most abundant cell type in the nervous system. Un der physiological conditions, they respond to the stimuli to which neurons are also responsive. The use of astrocytoma cell lines with well-defined mo rphological and functional markers has been helpful for addressing the mech anisms of signal transduction that operate in the nervous system. On the ba sis of the effects produced by agonists of different types of receptor (mus carinic ACh receptors, thrombin receptors, phospholipases A(2) receptors an d tumor necrosis factor alpha receptors), several different transcriptional programs that involve the MAP kinase-cytosolic phospholipase A(2) system a nd the transcription factor NF-kappa B have been described.