A Rosenthal fiber is a thick, elongated, worm-like or "corkscrew"

eosinophilic Eosinophilic (Greek suffix -phil-, meaning ''loves eosin'') is the staining of tissues, cells, or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye. Eosin is an acidic dye for staining cell cytoplasm, collagen, and muscle fibers. ''E ...

(pink) bundle that is found on

staining Staining is a technique used to enhance contrast in samples, generally at the microscopic level. Stains and dyes are frequently used in histology (microscopic study of biological tissues), in cytology (microscopic study of cells), and in th ...

of brain tissue in the presence of long-standing

gliosis Gliosis is a nonspecific reactive change of glial cells in response to damage to the central nervous system (CNS). In most cases, gliosis involves the proliferation or hypertrophy of several different types of glial cells, including astrocyte ...

, occasional tumors, and some metabolic disorders.

Associated conditions

Its presence is associated with either pilocytic astrocytoma (more common) or

Alexander's disease Alexander disease is a very rare autosomal dominant leukodystrophy, which are neurological conditions caused by anomalies in the myelin which protects nerve fibers in the brain. The most common type is the infantile form that usually begins durin ...

(a rare

leukodystrophy Leukodystrophies are a group of usually inherited disorders characterized by degeneration of the white matter in the brain. The word ''leukodystrophy'' comes from the Greek roots ''leuko'', "white", ''dys'', "abnormal" and ''troph'', "growth". Th ...

). They are also seen in the context of

fucosidosis Fucosidosis is a rare lysosomal storage disorder in which the FUCA1 gene experiences mutations that severely reduce or stop the activity of the alpha-L-fucosidase enzyme. The result is a buildup of complex sugars in parts of the body, which lead ...

. Pilocytic astrocytoma is the most common primitive tumor found in

pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

Composition

The fibers are found in astrocytic processes and are thought to be clumped

intermediate filament Intermediate filaments (IFs) are cytoskeletal structural components found in the cells of vertebrates, and many invertebrates. Homologues of the IF protein have been noted in an invertebrate, the cephalochordate '' Branchiostoma''. Intermed ...

proteins, primarily

glial fibrillary acidic protein Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a protein that is encoded by the ''GFAP'' gene in humans. It is a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein that is expressed by numerous cell types of the central nervous system (CNS), including astro ...

. Other reported constituents include alphaB crystallin, heat shock protein 27, protein beta-1), ubiquitin, vimentin, plectin, c-Jun, the 20 S proteasome, and synemin.

References

External links

* Neuropathology Mini-Course.
Chapter 9 - Tumors of the Nervous System

Isolation of a major protein component of Rosenthal fibers
Neuropathology {{pathology-stub