STIMULATION OF ASTROGLIAL 5-HT1A RECEPTORS RELEASES THE SEROTONERGIC GROWTH-FACTOR, PROTEIN S-100, AND ALTERS ASTROGLIAL MORPHOLOGY

Stimulation of astroglial 5-HT1A receptors causes astroglial cells to acquire a more mature morphology and to release a factor (or factors) which promotes growth of serotonergic neurons. By using an antibody-blocking approach, we have shown that at least one of the growth-promoting factors thus released is the astroglial-specific protein S-100. This may be a particularly important observation, in view of studies implicating S-100 in both Down's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. © 1990.