Enteric Glial Cells: Recent Developments and Future Directions

Emerging roles for enteric glia in gastrointestinal disorders

“…These cells were once thought to play a passive structural role but now emerge as having significant regulatory functions throughout the GI tract (4,7,8). There are two major populations of enteric glia, one in the ENS and the other beneath the epithelium throughout the intestinal mucosa ( Figure 1).…”

“…In this Review I focus on selected new developments in the molecular physiology of enteric glia and relate them to pathophysiological conditions in the gut and to neurological conditions that affect the GI tract. Interested readers are encouraged to consult other recent reviews and articles on enteric glia (4,(7)(8)(9).…”

Toward a better understanding of enteric gliogenesis

“…ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, infectious enteritis and slow transit constipation) and even extradigestive (e.g., Parkinson disease and obesity) disorders that are associated with altered enteric glia. [4][5][6] Due to their shared neural crest origin, enteric glial cells were first considered to be the Schwann cells of the gut but detailed analysis of their morphology as well as their relationship to neurons later suggested that enteric glial cells are more similar to astrocytes. 7 Recent work further challenged this view and now suggests that enteric glia have a unique hybrid transcriptome profile overlapping (in order of importance) with the signature of Schwann cells, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes.…”

Postnatal development of the myenteric glial network and its modulation by butyrate

“…Whereas neuronal genesis and maturation in the GI tract have been quite well described, little is known about the postnatal development of enteric glial cells (EGC). These cells are present in the myenteric and submucosal ganglia, along the nerve fibers that innerve the gut, and in all the layers of the gut wall including muscle and epithelium (28). Like central astrocytes, they have an important role in modulating the neuronal circuitry (15,28), and they express glial markers such as glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) and the calcium-binding protein S100␤.…”

“…This includes neuroprotection (12), modulation of the enteric neuronal phenotype (1), regulation of intestinal motility (5,23), direct control of epithelial cell properties, and regulation of intestinal epithelial barrier functions (2,27). These pleiotropic functions have been suggested to contribute to ENS and gut homeostasis (28).…”