The role of glia in suppressing neuronal cell death was investigated in the visual system of the Drosophila mutant, reversed polarity (repo). The repo locus encodes a glial-specific homeodomain protein expressed in the optic lobes. Here, we show that survival of the laminar neurons in the optic lobe depends on repo expression in the laminar glia, indicating that the laminar glia supply factors ...

The nervous system of echinoderms has long been considered too unique to be directly comparable to the nervous system of other Deuterostomia. Using two novel monoclonal antibodies in combination with epifluorescence, confocal, and electron microscopy, we demonstrate here that the central nervous system of the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima possesses a major non-neuronal cell type, which sha...

The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) is the major site for termination of visceral sensory afferents contributing to homeostatic regulation of, for example, arterial pressure, gastric motility, and breathing. Whereas much is known about how different neuronal populations influence these functions, information about the role of glia remains scant. In this article, we propose that glia may con...

Arthropod photoreceptors are polarized cells displaying distinct surface domains. The distribution of the Na,K-ATPase (sodium pump) over these domains was examined in the honeybee photoreceptor using a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes the sodium pump alpha-subunit (approximately 100 kDa). We find that the sodium pump is restricted to sites of the nonreceptive photoreceptor surfa...

Expression of the transmembrane NG2 chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan (CSPG) defines a distinct population of NG2-glia. NG2-glia serve as a regenerative pool of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in the adult central nervous system (CNS), which is important for demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and are a major component of the glial scar that inhibits axon regeneration after CNS ...

Retinal damage in teleosts, unlike mammals, induces robust Müller glia-mediated regeneration of lost neurons. We examined whether Notch signaling regulates Müller glia proliferation in the adult zebrafish retina and demonstrated that Notch signaling maintains Müller glia in a quiescent state in the undamaged retina. Repressing Notch signaling, through injection of the γ-secretase inhibitor RO49...

Glia modulate neuronal activity by releasing transmitters in a process called gliotransmission. The role of this process in controlling the activity of neuronal networks underlying motor behavior is unknown. ATP features prominently in gliotransmission; it also contributes to the homeostatic ventilatory response evoked by low oxygen through mechanisms that likely include excitation of preBötzin...

The M€uller glia of fish provide a source for neuronal regeneration after injury, but they do not do so in mammals. We previously showed that lentiviral gene transfer of the transcription factor Achaete-scute homolog 1 (Ascl1/Mash1) in murine M€uller glia cultures resulted in partial reprogramming of the cells to retinal progenitors. The microRNAs (miRNAs) miR-124-9-9* facilitate neuronal repro...

Glia play crucial roles in ensheathing axons, a process that requires an intricate series of glia-neuron interactions. The membrane-anchored protein Wrapper is present in Drosophila midline glia and is required for ensheathment of commissural axons. By contrast, Neurexin IV is present on the membranes of neurons and commissural axons, and is highly concentrated at their interfaces with midline ...

Axons navigate to trace stereotypic trajectories over an environment often rich in glial cells. Once axonal trajectories are defined, their structuring proceeds through multiple fasciculation and defasciculation events, to finally establish the mature bundles. Fasciculation and ensheathment also proceed in close association between axons and glial cells, and ultimately require glia. The cross-t...