Houades Vanessa, Rouach Nathalie, Ezan Pascal, Kirchhoff Frank, Koulakoff Annette, Giaume Christian
INSERM U114, Collège de France, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.
Neuron Glia Biol. 2006 Feb;2(1):3-14. doi: 10.1017/S1740925X06000081.
The high level of intercellular communication mediated by gap junctions between astrocytes indicates that, besides individual astrocytic domains, a second level of organization might exist for these glial cells as they form communicating networks. Therefore,the contribution of astrocytes to brain function should also be considered to result from coordinated groups of cells. To evaluate the shape and extent of these networks we have studied the expression of connexin 43, a major gap junction protein in astrocytes, and the intercellular diffusion of gap junction tracers in two structures of the developing brain, the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex. We report that the shape of astrocytic networks depends on their location within neuronal compartments ina defined brain structure. Interestingly, not all astrocytes are coupled, which indicates that connections within these networks are restricted. As gap junctional communication in astrocytes is reported to contribute to several glial functions, differences in the shape of astrocytic networks might have consequences on neuronal activity and survival.
星形胶质细胞之间的间隙连接介导的高水平细胞间通讯表明，除了单个星形胶质细胞结构域之外，这些神经胶质细胞在形成通讯网络时可能还存在第二个组织层次。因此，星形胶质细胞对脑功能的贡献也应被认为是由协调的细胞群产生的。为了评估这些网络的形状和范围，我们研究了连接蛋白43（星形胶质细胞中的一种主要间隙连接蛋白）的表达，以及间隙连接示踪剂在发育中大脑的两个结构——海马体和大脑皮层中的细胞间扩散。我们报告称，星形胶质细胞网络的形状取决于它们在特定脑结构中神经元区域内的位置。有趣的是，并非所有星形胶质细胞都是相互连接的，这表明这些网络内的连接是受限的。由于据报道星形胶质细胞中的间隙连接通讯有助于多种神经胶质细胞功能，星形胶质细胞网络形状的差异可能会对神经元活动和存活产生影响。
