The Ca 2؉ -binding protein of the EF-hand type, S100B, is abundantly expressed in and secreted by astrocytes, and release of S100B from damaged astrocytes occurs during the course of acute and chronic brain disorders. Thus, the concept has emerged that S100B might act an unconventional cytokine or a damage-associated molecular pattern protein playing a role in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders and inflammatory brain diseases. S100B proinflammatory effects require relatively high concentrations of the protein, whereas at physiological concentrations S100B exerts trophic effects on neurons. Most if not all of the extracellular (trophic and toxic) effects of S100B in the brain are mediated by the engagement of RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products). We show here that high S100B stimulates murine microglia migration in Boyden chambers via RAGE-dependent activation of Src kinase, Ras, PI3K, MEK/ERK1/2, RhoA/ROCK, Rac1/JNK/AP-1, Rac1/ NF-B, and, to a lesser extent, p38 MAPK. Recruitment of the adaptor protein, diaphanous-1, a member of the formin protein family, is also required for S100B/RAGE-induced migration of microglia. The S100B/RAGE-dependent activation of diaphanous-1/Rac1/JNK/AP-1, Ras/Rac1/NF-B and Src/Ras/PI3K/ RhoA/diaphanous-1 results in the up-regulation of expression of the chemokines, CCL3, CCL5, and CXCL12, whose release and activity are required for S100B to stimulate microglia migration. Lastly, RAGE engagement by S100B in microglia results in up-regulation of the chemokine receptors, CCR1 and CCR5. These results suggests that S100B might participate in the pathophysiology of brain inflammatory disorders via RAGEdependent regulation of several inflammation-related events including activation and migration of microglia. S100B is a Ca 2ϩ -binding protein of the EF-hand type abundantly expressed in astrocytes (1). S100B has been implicated in the regulation of astrocyte shape, migration, proliferation and differentiation via activation of the Src/PI3K module and PI3K-dependent stimulation of Akt and RhoA activities and hence of the supramolecular organization of F-actin (2). S100B also regulates the state of assembly of microtubules and type III intermediate filaments (3) and the cytosolic Ca 2ϩ concentration (4). In addition to having intracellular regulatory activities, S100B also exerts extracellular effects. Indeed, astrocytes secrete the protein constitutively and to a larger extent under the action of several stimuli including the proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-␣ (see for review Ref. 1). Moreover, levels of brain S100B are elevated in the aging brain and in several pathological conditions such as Alzheimer disease, brain infarct, epilepsy, and infectious diseases, as well as in Down syndrome (5, 6) in consequence of S100B human gene mapping to chromosome 21q22.3 (7). For example, hypertrophic astrocytes in peri-infarct areas and in neuritic plaques in Alzheimer disease and Down syndrome show elevated expression levels of S100B, and S100B can be detected outside hypert...