title: Heterogeneous astrocytes: Active players in CNS.
abstract: Astrocytes, the predominant cell type that are broadly distributed in the brain and spinal cord, play key roles in maintaining homeostasis of the central nerve system (CNS) in physiological and pathological conditions. Increasing evidence indicates that astrocytes are a complex colony with heterogeneity on morphology, gene expression, function and many other aspects depending on their spatio-temporal distribution and activation level. In pathological conditions, astrocytes differentially respond to all kinds of insults, including injury and disease, and participate in the neuropathological process. Based on current studies, we here give an overview of the roles of heterogeneous astrocytes in CNS, especially in neuropathologies, which focuses on biological and functional diversity of astrocytes. We propose that a precise understanding of the heterogeneous astrocytes is critical to unlocking the secrets about pathogenesis and treatment of the mazy CNS.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ministry of Education, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ministry of Education, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ministry of Education, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience and Key Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ministry of Education, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: suzhida@smmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Astrocyte; CNS injury; Function; Heterogeneity; Neurological disease