Dified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; WAKO) containing 10 fetal bovine serum (FBS). Nonastroglial cells were removed by shaking on the following day, and the remaining cells were grown further for 3 days, and then astrocytes were removed by trypsinization and replated onto LabTek 8-chamber glass slides coated with PLL. Mouse Neuro2a cells were originally obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC cat. no. CCL131). The cells were grown in DMEM containing 10 FBS and penicillin/streptomycin. Murine microglial cell line (6? microglial cells) [14] was maintained in Eagle’s minimal essential medium, 0.3 NaHCO3, 2 mM glutamine, 0.2 glucose, 10 mg/ml insulin and 10 FBS. One ng/ml mouse recombinant GM-CSF was added as a supplement in the culture.following primary antibodies: a rabbit anti AFF-R polyclonal antibody (50 mg/ml; Abcam), goat anti-BAFF polyclonal antibody (15 mg/ml; R D Systems), and a mouse anti-Map2 monoclonal antibody (1:200 dilution; Sigma). A rabbit anti-GFAP polyclonal antibody (50 mg/ml; Dako) and goat anti-C4BP polyclonal antibody (15 mg/ml; Santa Cruz Biotechnology) were used as controls to examine BAFF-R and BAFF expression, respectively. The following secondary antibodies were then applied overnight at 4uC: Cy5-conjugated F(ab’) 2 MedChemExpress 374913-63-0 fragment rabbit anti-goat IgG (1:500; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories), Cy5-conjugated F(ab’) 2 donkey anti-rabbit IgG (1:500; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories), and Alexa FlourH488-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (1:500; Invitrogen). Then, the cells were washed three times in 0.2 TBST for 5 min and mounted with VECTA-SHIELD Mounting Medium containing DAPI (Vector Laboratories). Fluorescence signals were captured with an LSM 510 confocal microscope (Zeiss). Primary SPDP cultured astrocytes were fixed in 4 paraformaldehyde in PBS for 15 min at room temperature. After washing three times with 0.2 TBST for 5 min, these cells were maintained overnight at 4uC in 1 bovine serum albumin. Fixed cells were incubated overnight at 4uC with Alexa FlourH488 onjugated anti-GFAP monoclonal antibody (1:100 dilution; Cell Signaling Technology). Then, the cells were washed three times in 0.2 TBST for 5 min and mounted with VECTA-SHIELD Mounting Medium containing DAPI (Vector Laboratories). Fluorescence signals were captured with an LSM 510 confocal microscope (Zeiss).ImmunocytochemistryPrimary cultured neurons (4 days in vitro) and Neuro2a cells were fixed in 4 paraformaldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; 0.1 M, pH 7.4) for 15 min at room temperature. After washing three times with 0.2 Tween-20 in 0.05 M Tris-buffered saline (TBST, pH 7.2) for 5 min, these cells were maintained overnight in blocking buffer (2 normal rabbit serum for the antiBAFF antibody and 2 normal donkey serum for the anti AFFR antibody). Fixed cells were incubated overnight at 4uC with theImmunohistochemistry and lectin stainingMice were anesthetized with an overdose of pentobarbital (60 mg/kg i.p.) and transcardially perfused with ice-cold 4 paraformaldehyde. The spinal cords were removed, postfixed in the same fixative for 4 h, incubated overnight in 30 sucrose, and embedded in O.C.T. Compound 23977191 (Sakura Finetek, Tokyo, Japan). Sections were frozen in liquid nitrogen and the blocks were stored at 280uC. Ten-micrometer thick transverse sections of the spinalNeuroprotection by B Cell Activating Factor (BAFF)Figure 3. Role of BAFF-R in neuronal survival in vitro. (A) The effect of a BAFF-R deficiency on neuronal survival. N.Dified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; WAKO) containing 10 fetal bovine serum (FBS). Nonastroglial cells were removed by shaking on the following day, and the remaining cells were grown further for 3 days, and then astrocytes were removed by trypsinization and replated onto LabTek 8-chamber glass slides coated with PLL. Mouse Neuro2a cells were originally obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC cat. no. CCL131). The cells were grown in DMEM containing 10 FBS and penicillin/streptomycin. Murine microglial cell line (6? microglial cells) [14] was maintained in Eagle’s minimal essential medium, 0.3 NaHCO3, 2 mM glutamine, 0.2 glucose, 10 mg/ml insulin and 10 FBS. One ng/ml mouse recombinant GM-CSF was added as a supplement in the culture.following primary antibodies: a rabbit anti AFF-R polyclonal antibody (50 mg/ml; Abcam), goat anti-BAFF polyclonal antibody (15 mg/ml; R D Systems), and a mouse anti-Map2 monoclonal antibody (1:200 dilution; Sigma). A rabbit anti-GFAP polyclonal antibody (50 mg/ml; Dako) and goat anti-C4BP polyclonal antibody (15 mg/ml; Santa Cruz Biotechnology) were used as controls to examine BAFF-R and BAFF expression, respectively. The following secondary antibodies were then applied overnight at 4uC: Cy5-conjugated F(ab’) 2 fragment rabbit anti-goat IgG (1:500; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories), Cy5-conjugated F(ab’) 2 donkey anti-rabbit IgG (1:500; Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories), and Alexa FlourH488-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (1:500; Invitrogen). Then, the cells were washed three times in 0.2 TBST for 5 min and mounted with VECTA-SHIELD Mounting Medium containing DAPI (Vector Laboratories). Fluorescence signals were captured with an LSM 510 confocal microscope (Zeiss). Primary cultured astrocytes were fixed in 4 paraformaldehyde in PBS for 15 min at room temperature. After washing three times with 0.2 TBST for 5 min, these cells were maintained overnight at 4uC in 1 bovine serum albumin. Fixed cells were incubated overnight at 4uC with Alexa FlourH488 onjugated anti-GFAP monoclonal antibody (1:100 dilution; Cell Signaling Technology). Then, the cells were washed three times in 0.2 TBST for 5 min and mounted with VECTA-SHIELD Mounting Medium containing DAPI (Vector Laboratories). Fluorescence signals were captured with an LSM 510 confocal microscope (Zeiss).ImmunocytochemistryPrimary cultured neurons (4 days in vitro) and Neuro2a cells were fixed in 4 paraformaldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; 0.1 M, pH 7.4) for 15 min at room temperature. After washing three times with 0.2 Tween-20 in 0.05 M Tris-buffered saline (TBST, pH 7.2) for 5 min, these cells were maintained overnight in blocking buffer (2 normal rabbit serum for the antiBAFF antibody and 2 normal donkey serum for the anti AFFR antibody). Fixed cells were incubated overnight at 4uC with theImmunohistochemistry and lectin stainingMice were anesthetized with an overdose of pentobarbital (60 mg/kg i.p.) and transcardially perfused with ice-cold 4 paraformaldehyde. The spinal cords were removed, postfixed in the same fixative for 4 h, incubated overnight in 30 sucrose, and embedded in O.C.T. Compound 23977191 (Sakura Finetek, Tokyo, Japan). Sections were frozen in liquid nitrogen and the blocks were stored at 280uC. Ten-micrometer thick transverse sections of the spinalNeuroprotection by B Cell Activating Factor (BAFF)Figure 3. Role of BAFF-R in neuronal survival in vitro. (A) The effect of a BAFF-R deficiency on neuronal survival. N.