Rinaldi Federica, Caldwell Maeve A
Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Bristol, UK.
Neuroreport. 2013 Dec 18;24(18):1053-7. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000064.
Astrocytes are an exceptionally complex type of cell observed throughout the brain and the spinal cord. They reveal heterogeneous identities and largely participate in brain activity. In this article we review astrocyte heterogeneity and function in the brain. We have also focused on their involvement in neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, discussing the contribution of this type of glial cell toward mechanisms that can lead to neuronal death, which was previously attributed exclusively to neurons. Furthermore, we also highlight the latest progress with stem cell technology for the generation of astrocytes from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. We allude to the need for developing new models that better recapitulate astrocyte heterogeneity and their diverse function within the brain. Those models will greatly contribute in understanding astrocytes' contribution toward molecular mechanisms occurring in neurodegenerative pathologies affecting specific brain regions such as in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
星形胶质细胞是在整个大脑和脊髓中都能观察到的一种极其复杂的细胞类型。它们具有异质性，并且在很大程度上参与大脑活动。在本文中，我们综述了星形胶质细胞在大脑中的异质性和功能。我们还重点关注了它们在包括帕金森病和阿尔茨海默病在内的神经退行性疾病中的作用，讨论了这种神经胶质细胞类型对可能导致神经元死亡的机制的贡献，而此前这种机制一直被认为完全是由神经元导致的。此外，我们还强调了利用干细胞技术从胚胎干细胞和诱导多能干细胞生成星形胶质细胞的最新进展。我们提到需要开发新的模型，以更好地概括星形胶质细胞的异质性及其在大脑中的多种功能。这些模型将极大地有助于理解星形胶质细胞对影响特定脑区（如帕金森病和阿尔茨海默病）的神经退行性病变中发生的分子机制的贡献。
