Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a protein encoded by the GFAP gene in humans and a member of the class III intermediate filament (IF) protein family.1 It is composed of an N-terminal head domain, a highly conserved α-helical rod domain, and a C-terminal tail domain that mediate GFAP self-assembly, dimerization, and oligomerization, respectively.2,3 GFAP is expressed in, and has commonly been used as a pan marker for, mature astrocytes.1 GFAP IFs form a dynamic network of cytosolic filament proteins that collectively provide structure and strength to the cytoskeleton of astrocytes, thus supporting their morphology and function.1 Isolated astrocytes from neonatal Gfap-/- mouse brain have reduced numbers of IFs and IF bundles, increased proliferation, and loss of contact-inhibited growth.4,5 Gfap-/- mice develop more diffuse and infiltrative brain lesions compared to wild-type littermates in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).6 Mutations in the rod and tail domains of GFAP have been associated with Rosenthal fiber formation, a hallmark of Alexander disease.7 Transgenic overexpression of Gfap in mice increases the expression of certain cytokines and antioxidative enzymes in the olfactory bulb and has been used as a mouse model of Alexander disease.8 GFAP can be citrullinated on the arginine residue at position 270 (R270) and at R416 by protein arginine deiminase 1 (PAD1; Item No. 10784) and PAD2 (Item No. 10785).9 Citrullinated GFAP has been found in rat cerebral cortex in a model of traumatic brain injury, as well as in postmortem hippocampus from patients with Alzheimer's disease.9,10WARNING This product is not for human or veterinary use.
