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Development of primary cultured astrocytes can be influenced by interplay of steroids and growth factors (GFs). These mytogenic polypetides regulated the expression of cytoskeletal proteins depending on pretreatment with either dexamethasone (DEX) or estradiol (E[sub 2]). We evaluated the contribution of each of these treatments to the expression of tissue transglutaminase (tTG), that is involved in cell differentiation. Treatment for 12 h with E[sub 2] and EGF as well as DEX and IGF-I significantly increased tTG expression in 15 DIV astrocyte cultures. A proliferative marker, such as cyclinD1 decreased as consequence of treatment increasing tTG expression. Taken together, these results indicate that steroid-GFs cross-talk plays a crucial role during astroglial cell maturation, and tTG may be indicated as mediator of the proliferative/differentiative response of primary cultured astrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]