Jungers Center, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2017 Dec;47:162-167. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.10.008. Epub 2017 Nov 6.
Glial cells are essential for proper formation and maintenance of the nervous system. During development, glia keep neuronal cell numbers in check and ensure that mature neural circuits are appropriately sculpted by engulfing superfluous cells and projections. In the adult brain, glial cells offer metabolic sustenance and provide critical immune support in the face of acute and chronic challenges. Dysfunctional glial immune activity is believed to contribute to age-related cognitive decline, as well as neurodegenerative disease risk, but we still know surprisingly little about the specific molecular pathways that govern glia-neuron communication in the healthy or diseased brain. Drosophila offers a versatile in vivo model to explore the conserved molecular underpinnings of glial cell biology and glial cell contributions to brain function, health, and disease susceptibility. This review addresses recent findings describing how Drosophila glial cells influence neuronal activity in the adult fly brain to support optimal brain function and, importantly, highlights new insights into specific glial defects that may contribute to neuronal demise.
神经胶质细胞对于神经系统的正常形成和维持至关重要。在发育过程中，神经胶质细胞控制神经元细胞的数量，并通过吞噬多余的细胞和突起来确保成熟的神经回路得到适当的塑造。在成年大脑中，神经胶质细胞提供代谢支持，并在面对急性和慢性挑战时提供关键的免疫支持。功能失调的神经胶质免疫活性被认为是导致与年龄相关的认知能力下降以及神经退行性疾病风险的原因，但我们对控制健康或患病大脑中神经胶质-神经元通讯的特定分子途径仍然知之甚少。果蝇提供了一种多功能的体内模型，可用于探索神经胶质细胞生物学和神经胶质细胞对大脑功能、健康和疾病易感性的贡献的保守分子基础。这篇综述介绍了最近的研究结果，描述了果蝇神经胶质细胞如何影响成年果蝇大脑中的神经元活动，以支持最佳的大脑功能，并且重要的是，强调了特定的神经胶质缺陷可能导致神经元死亡的新见解。
