RESUMEN
Astrocytes display diverse morphologies in different regions of the central nervous system. Whether astrocyte diversity is attributable to developmental processes and bears functional consequences, especially in humans, is unknown. RNA-seq of human pluripotent stem cell-derived regional astrocytes revealed distinct transcript profiles, suggesting differential functional properties. This was confirmed by differential calcium signaling as well as effects on neurite growth and blood-brain barrier formation. Distinct transcriptional profiles and functional properties of human astrocytes generated from regionally specified neural progenitors under the same conditions strongly implicate the developmental impact on astrocyte diversity. These findings provide a rationale for renewed examination of regional astrocytes and their role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Asunto(s)
Astrocitos/fisiología , Diferenciación Celular/genética , Neurogénesis/genética , Células Madre Pluripotentes/fisiología , Transcriptoma , Secuencia de Bases , Biomarcadores/análisis , Biomarcadores/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Corteza Cerebral/citología , Corteza Cerebral/metabolismo , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Secuenciación de Nucleótidos de Alto Rendimiento , Humanos , Células Madre Pluripotentes Inducidas/fisiología , Células-Madre Neurales/fisiología , Especificidad de Órganos/genética , Prosencéfalo/citología , Prosencéfalo/metabolismo , Análisis de Secuencia de ARNRESUMEN
Following brain injury, reactive glial cells can create scars that inhibit neural repair responses. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Guo et al. report that overexpression of NeuroD1 in vivo can directly reprogram reactive glial cells into glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons that integrate into the host's neural circuitry.