HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology

 

Review

Endothelial heat shock response in cerebral ischemia

A.J. Scumpia1, J. Kafel1, B.H. Hallas1, J.M. Horowitz2 and G. Torres1

1Department of Neuroscience, New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury New York, USA, and 2Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory, Medaille College, Buffalo, New York, USA.

Offprint requests to: German Torres, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, NYCOM/NYIT, Old Westbury, New York 11568, USA. e-mail: torresg@nyit.edu


Summary. Blood vessels and nerve fibers often course alongside one another in an orderly fashion throughout the brain. This clustering gives rise to a reciprocal signaling network between endothelial and nerve cells that follows highly stereotyped anatomical patterns. One such molecular signal that is produced by endothelial cells and acts on surrounding neurons is heat shock protein 70. Here we briefly review recent studies that have revealed a critical role of this signaling pathway during harmful insults to the brain, particularly during episodes of cerebral ischemia. Histol Histopathol 22, 815-823 (2007)

Key words: Blood vessels, Heat shock proteins, Hypoxia, Penumbra, Infarct core

DOI: 10.14670/HH-22.815