Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
Adv Neurobiol. 2024;39:95-136. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-64839-7_5.
Astrocytes, a major class of glial cells, are an important element at the synapse where they engage in bidirectional crosstalk with neurons to regulate numerous aspects of neurotransmission, circuit function, and behavior. Mutations in synapse-related genes expressed in both neurons and astrocytes are central factors in a vast number of neurological disorders, making the proteins that they encode prominent targets for therapeutic intervention. Yet, while the roles of many of these synaptic proteins in neurons are well established, the functions of the same proteins in astrocytes are largely unknown. This gap in knowledge must be addressed to refine therapeutic approaches. In this chapter, we integrate multiomic meta-analysis and a comprehensive overview of current literature to show that astrocytes express an astounding number of genes that overlap with the neuronal and synaptic transcriptomes. Further, we highlight recent reports that characterize the expression patterns and potential novel roles of these genes in astrocytes in both physiological and pathological conditions, underscoring the importance of considering both cell types when investigating the function and regulation of synaptic proteins.
星形胶质细胞是神经胶质细胞的主要类型之一，是突触的重要组成部分，它们与神经元进行双向交流，调节神经递质传递、回路功能和行为的多个方面。在神经元和星形胶质细胞中表达的突触相关基因的突变是大量神经疾病的核心因素，这些基因编码的蛋白质成为治疗干预的重要靶点。然而，尽管许多这些突触蛋白在神经元中的作用已经得到很好的证实，但相同蛋白在星形胶质细胞中的功能在很大程度上仍是未知的。为了完善治疗方法，必须解决这一知识空白。在这一章中，我们整合了多组学荟萃分析和对当前文献的全面综述，表明星形胶质细胞表达了大量与神经元和突触转录组重叠的基因。此外，我们还重点介绍了最近的一些报道，这些报道描述了这些基因在生理和病理条件下在星形胶质细胞中的表达模式和潜在的新作用，强调了在研究突触蛋白的功能和调节时，同时考虑这两种细胞类型的重要性。
