Understanding astrocyte heterogeneity

了解星形胶质细胞异质性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06512
• 负责人: Faiz, Maryam
• 金额: $ 2.19万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=717783
• 关键词: Understanding; astrocyte; heterogeneity

The brain is composed of two main cell types, neurons and glia, which are produced from stem cells during development. Astrocytes, one type of glial cell, have historically been understudied because they were thought to be simple support cells present only to aid neuronal function. While it is now accepted that astrocytes are a diverse population of cells, how their diversity is established is not well understood. Our long-term goal is to determine how different astrocyte identities are created in the brain. We will investigate whether astrocyte diversity is coded in the stem cells from which they originate during development by using genetic birthdating and lineage tracing approaches. In addition, we will characterize the diversity of a subset of astrocytes we recently discovered in the adult that are produced de novo from stem cells in response to injury. We will use unbiased sequencing methods to determine the molecular profile of individual adult stem cell-derived astrocytes cells and thus, the heterogeneity within this population. Altogether, the study of astrocyte diversity will improve our fundamental understanding of astrocyte biology and brain development. These studies will also provide a foundation for future research that will investigate the mechanisms that specify different astrocyte subsets and if/how different astrocyte subpopulations contribute to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. This research program will attract highly qualified personnel. The training they receive in my laboratory will include state of the art methods and equipment and give trainees a competitive skill set that will increase their employability, thus benefitting both academia and industry in Canada.

大脑由两种主要的细胞类型组成，神经元和神经胶质，它们是在发育过程中由干细胞产生的。星形胶质细胞是神经胶质细胞的一种，由于它们被认为是简单的支持细胞，仅用于帮助神经元功能，因此对其研究一直不够充分。虽然现在公认星形胶质细胞是一个多样化的细胞群，但它们的多样性是如何建立的还不是很清楚。