title: Characterization of Panglial Gap Junction Networks in the Thalamus, Neocortex, and Hippocampus Reveals a Unique Population of Glial Cells.
abstract: The thalamus plays important roles as a relay station for sensory information in the central nervous system (CNS). Although thalamic glial cells participate in this activity, little is known about their properties. In this study, we characterized the formation of coupled networks between astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in the murine ventrobasal thalamus and compared these properties with those in the hippocampus and cortex. Biocytin filling of individual astrocytes or oligodendrocytes revealed large panglial networks in all 3 gray matter regions. Combined analyses of mice with cell type-specific deletion of connexins (Cxs), semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting showed that Cx30 is the dominant astrocytic Cx in the thalamus. Many thalamic astrocytes even lack expression of Cx43, while in the hippocampus astrocytic coupling is dominated by Cx43. Deletion of Cx30 and Cx47 led to complete loss of panglial coupling, which was restored when one allele of either Cxs was present. Immunohistochemistry revealed a unique antigen profile of thalamic glia and identified an intermediate cell type expressing both Olig2 and Cx43. Our findings further the emerging concept of glial heterogeneity across brain regions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Griemsmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Simon P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Höft
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bedner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: von Staden
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beinhauer
authors.affiliation: Life and Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, Molecular Genetics, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Degen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dublin
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Cope
authors.affiliation: Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13092 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Crunelli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jabs
authors.affiliation: Life and Medical Sciences (LIMES) Institute, Molecular Genetics, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Willecke
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Theis
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Seifert
authors.affiliation: Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, Cellular Neuroscience, 13092 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kettenmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steinhäuser
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D000075302:Connexin 30; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017630:Connexins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019579:Neocortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000075302:Connexin 30; D018031:Connexin 43; D017630:Connexins; C100629:Gjb6 protein, mouse
keywords: astrocytes; connexin; genetic deletion; heterogeneity; oligodendrocytes