Glial fibrillary acidic protein

Glial fibrillary acidic protein ( GFAP Abbr ENGL. Glial fibrillary acidic protein ) is a protein (in particular astrocytes) occurs as a main component of the intermediate filaments in the cytoplasm of glial cells in the central nervous system. The molecular mass of human GFAP is 49 883 daltons. The function is not yet fully understood, it probably controls cell shape and allows the mobility of astrocytes.

Within the central nervous system (CNS) is primarily GFAP in astrocytes before ( and also in certain stem cells of the CNS) and therefore can be used with some certainty as a marker for astrocytes. GFAP but is also expressed in some cell types outside of the CNS (eg, Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves ). Due to its occurrence in astrocyte GFAP plays a key role in the diagnosis of brain tumors as a marker. It is typically in glial tumors (eg, astrocytoma, glioblastoma, ependymoma, and a number of other glial tumors) found.

When Alexander syndrome ( hyaline Panneuropathie, dysmyelinogene leukodystrophy ) there is a mutation of the gene responsible for the synthesis on chromosome 17.

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