Region-Specific Characteristics of Astrocytes and Microglia: A Possible Involvement in Aging and Diseases

Overview

Journal Cells

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Biochemistry
Biophysics
Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Date 2022 Jun 24

PMID 35741031

Authors

Jae Lee

Sung Wook Kim

Kyong-Tai Kim

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Although different regions of the brain are dedicated to specific functions, the intra- and inter-regional heterogeneity of astrocytes and microglia in these regions has not yet been fully understood. Recently, an advancement in various technologies, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, has allowed for the discovery of astrocytes and microglia with distinct molecular fingerprints and varying functions in the brain. In addition, the regional heterogeneity of astrocytes and microglia exhibits different functions in several situations, such as aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, investigating the region-specific astrocytes and microglia is important in understanding the overall function of the brain. In this review, we summarize up-to-date research on various intra- and inter-regional heterogeneities of astrocytes and microglia, and provide information on how they can be applied to aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

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