A Rosenthal fiber is a thick, elongated, worm-like or "corkscrew" eosinophilic (pink) bundle that is found on staining of brain tissue in the presence of long-standing gliosis, occasional tumors, and some metabolic disorders.

Rosenthal fibers.
H&E staining showing these elongated eosinophilic structures in a case of pilocytic astrocytoma. Magnification 400x

Associated conditions

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Its presence is associated with either pilocytic astrocytoma[1] (more common) or Alexander's disease (a rare leukodystrophy). They are also seen in the context of fucosidosis.

Rosenthal fibres can also be seen in craniopharyngioma.

Composition

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The fibers are found in astrocytic processes and are thought to be clumped intermediate filament proteins, primarily glial fibrillary acidic protein.[2] Other reported constituents include alphaB crystallin, heat shock protein 27, protein beta-1), ubiquitin, vimentin, plectin, c-Jun, the 20 S proteasome, and synemin.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Wippold FJ, Perry A, Lennerz J (May 2006). "Neuropathology for the neuroradiologist: Rosenthal fibers". AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 27 (5): 958–61. PMID 16687524.
  2. ^ Tanaka KF, Ochi N, Hayashi T, Ikeda E, Ikenaka K (October 2006). "Fluoro-Jade: new fluorescent marker of Rosenthal fibers". Neurosci. Lett. 407 (2): 127–30. doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2006.08.014. PMID 16949206.
  3. ^ Heaven, MR; Flint, D; Randall, SM; et al. (July 1, 2016). "Composition of Rosenthal Fibers, the Protein Aggregate Hallmark of Alexander Disease". Journal of Proteome Research. 15 (7): 2265–82. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00316. PMC 5036859. PMID 27193225.
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