Death receptors on reactive astrocytes: a key role in the fine tuning of brain inflammation?

Immune responses protect the CNS against pathogens. However, the fact that there is little dispensable tissue in the brain makes regulation necessary to avoid disastrous immune-mediated damage. Astrocytes respond vigorously to any brain injury (e.g., tumor, stroke, AD, MS, HIV) and are postulated to play an important role in the fine tuning of brain inflammation. The authors propose that astrocytes use death receptors to modulate pro- and anti-inflammatory effects.