Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Nature. 2010 Nov 11;468(7321):214-22. doi: 10.1038/nature09611.
Oligodendrocytes and astrocytes are macroglial cells of the vertebrate central nervous system. These cells have diverse roles in the maintenance of neurological function. In the embryo, the genetic mechanisms that underlie the specification of macroglial precursors in vivo appear strikingly similar to those that regulate the development of the diverse neuron types. The switch from producing neuronal to glial subtype-specific precursors can be modelled as an interplay between region-restricted components and temporal regulators that determine neurogenic or gliogenic phases of development, contributing to glial diversity. Gaining insight into the developmental genetics of macroglia has great potential to improve our understanding of a variety of neurological disorders in humans.
少突胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞是脊椎动物中枢神经系统的大胶质细胞。这些细胞在维持神经功能方面具有多种作用。在胚胎中，体内调节大胶质前体细胞特化的遗传机制与调节不同神经元类型发育的机制惊人地相似。从产生神经元到胶质亚型特异性前体细胞的转变可以模拟为区域限制成分和决定神经发生或胶质发生发育阶段的时间调节剂之间的相互作用，有助于胶质细胞的多样性。深入了解大胶质细胞的发育遗传学具有很大的潜力，可以提高我们对人类各种神经疾病的认识。
