The transcription repressor REST appears to have a role in the expression of gliosecretion.

摘要

REST is a repressor transcription factor known to govern the expression of neu-rosecretion in nerve cells and neurons. Whether REST has a role also in the control of gliosecretion was unknown. Here we demonstrate that the repressor is expressed in the nucleus of cultured astrocytes at levels higher than those of neurosecretory cells; that changes of its function by transfection of a dominant negative construct or the application of an HDACs (histone deacetylases) inhibitor induce or increase the expression of genes involved in neurosecretion; that components of the REST effector complexes are expressed by astrocytes; and that REST is associated to the SNAP25 and Syt4 genes of astrocytes. These are the first results demonstrating that the expression of REST participates in the control of gliosecretion in astrocytes.