Understanding astrocyte heterogeneity

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

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.