Puzan's Image Featured on Cover of Journal of Neuroscience Research
The work of ChE PhD student Marissa Puzan '19 and Assistant Professor Abigail Koppes is featured on the January 2018 cover of the Journal of Neuroscience Research. The image shows an activated enteric human enteric glial cell. The cell was incorporated into in vitro systems for studying enteric epithelial interactions. The image was produced as part of the work of Koppes ABNEL Lab.
DESCRIPTION: Cultured human astrocyte-like enteroglial cell exhibits enhanced glial fibrillatory acid protein (GFAP, green) expression, indicating activation, in response to nearby intestinal derived microbes. Much like astrocytes of the brain, a subtype of enteric glial respond to inflammatory stimuli via upregulated GFAP expression and further production of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, corresponding to decreased permeability of the intestinal epithelial cell barrier. Glia were isolated from human intestinal biopsies and grown on poly-lysine coated cultureware for 7-10 days. Cells were stained for both GFAP (green) and phalloidin for F-actin (red), in addition to DAPI for nucleic acid visualization (blue). Scale: 63x.