Helene CASTEL
helene.castel@univ-rouen.fr

INSERM U982
University of Rouen
Place E. Blondel
76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan
76821
Mont-Saint-Aignan
http://u982.lille.inserm.fr/equipe-3/

Within cerebral specific micro-environments referred as vascular niche, astrocytes may retain a capacity of self-renewal, behaving as stem cells in close association with the endothelial components. In brain tumors as glioma, it is also suspected that vascular niches may be a key structure for the release of angiogenic factors, neoangiogenesis, invasion and/or proliferation. We have previously demonstrated that the vasoactive neuropeptide urotensin II (UII), through activation of its receptor UT, activates differential signaling cascades in cultured astrocytes, and stimulates glial proliferation. Moreover, we showed the existence of a reciprocical cross-talk between UT and the GABAA receptor in astrocytes. Thus, our main objective is to investigate the role of vasoactive paracrine/autocrine signals as well as vascular circulating factors at the interface between astrocyte and the brain microvasculature and the role of the vascular niche in the regulation of neurogenesis and gliomagenesis. our emerging team, created in January 2010 and recently reinforced by the active contribution of the clinicians Pr F. Proust (PUPH, Neurosurgery service, Rouen Hospital) and Dr E. Gérardin (PH, Neuroradiology service, Rouen Hospital), aims to develop a continuum from cognitive projects to translational and applied research programs. In particular, our project may lead to the characterization of new auto-/paracrine signals, orchestrating the functioning of the vascular niche in brain neurogenic area and in glioma. In a middle term, it would allow development of strategies for induction of neurogenesis after injury or neuroprotection during brain deleterious therapies, and/or for new glioma treatments based on destabilization of the vascular niche.