neurology-congress-2016_scientifictracks-abstracts

15 / 29

Volume 7, Issue 4 (Suppl) J Neurol Neurophysiol
ISSN:2155-9562 JNN, an open access journal
Page 47
Notes:
Neurology Congress 2016
September 21-23, 2016
conferenceseries.com
September 21-23, 2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands
8th European Neurology Congress
Influence of the immunological effector IFNγ in the biology of neuroblastoma cells
Anastasia Xagara1,2, Joseph Papamatheakis1,3 and Theologos M Michaelidis1,2
1Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Greece
2University of Ioannina, Greece
3University of Crete, Greece
The immune and nervous systems interact both at the cellular and molecular level, and share significant similarities in essential
mechanisms and signaling pathways. IFN-γ, a cytokine that belongs to type II interferons, plays crucial role in innate and
adaptive immunity whereas its aberrant expression/activity has been associated with a number of autoimmune diseases. IFNγ
can enhance neurogenesis in the hippocampus of adult mice, by unknown mechanisms, possibly involving coordination between
brain inflammation and repair, and can also modulate neurotransmitter release at synapses and affect memory, thereby revealing
an important role of this immunological effector for the function of the adult nervous system. Using neuroblastoma cells, we are
currently analyzing the influence of neuroinflammatory components in the process of aberrant activation of key signaling pathways
involved in cellular proliferation and neuronal differentiation as well as in cellular heterogeneity, a hallmark of neuroblastoma
which is observed in both tumors and tumor-derived cell lines. We found that IFNγ reduces neuroblastoma cell proliferation by
delaying progression through the S phase of the cell cycle. Concomitantly, it promotes molecular and morphological features of early
neuronal differentiation as revealed by the extended neurite outgrowth, increased formation of varicosities, and induction of specific
neuronal differentiation markers. Our data also showed that chronic treatment with IFNγ alters the program of retinoic acid-induced
differentiation, leading to an induction of large, nestin+, Schwann-like (S-type) cells, known to influence the biology of the adjacent
neuroblastic (N-type) cells, suggesting that immune components may contribute to the phenotypic heterogeneity and tumorigenicity
of neuroblastoma.
Biography
Xagara Anastasia completed her degree in Biology at the University of Ioannina (Greece), Department of Biological Applications and Technologies (5-years, 300
ECTS). She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Biomedical Research, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology- Foundation for Research
and Technology (FORTH/BRI), under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Theologos Michaelidis. Her research is focused on the analysis of neuro-immune interactions
that take place in human CNS and PNS and their significance for the development of neurological disorders.
Anastasia Xagara et al., J Neurol Neurophysiol 2016, 7:4 (Suppl)