Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
9.0
6.0
Journals
Cells
Special Issues
Emerging Roles of Glial Cells in Human Health and Disease
share announcement

Emerging Roles of Glial Cells in Human Health and Disease

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cells of the Nervous System".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 February 2024) | Viewed by 3269

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dan Frenkel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Interests: neuroinflammation; glial cells; neurodegenerative diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Menachem Hanani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 91240, Israel
Interests: satellite glia; pain; autonomic nervous system

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Glial cells play an important role in maintaining neuronal activity and homeostasis in all parts of the nervous system. The term 'glia' covers different types of cells that are located in both the central nervous system, such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal and microglia, and in the peripheral nervous system, such as satellite glial cells, Schwann cells and enteric glia. There is a diversity of subtypes within these groups, and recent methodological advances have enabled the identification of heterogeneities in gene expression within each glial family. Furthermore, changes in the gene impression in glial cells were associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The roles of glial cells under normal and disease states have been studied in animal models for many years, and this research has contributed greatly to the field of neuroscience. However, this important research was carried out mostly on rodents, and may not represent accurately the human nervous system. We therefore believe that it is timely to present current advances in the study of glial cells in humans under various conditions. Understanding glial complexity and activity in humans may pave the way for novel therapeutic interventions to treat currently uncurable diseases. This Special Issue is entitled: “Emerging Roles of Glial Cells in Human Health and Disease”. It will include original research and review papers focusing on this topic.

Please find below suggested topics:

  • Satellite glial cells in human disease;
  • Animal models of human diseases associated with glial cells;
  • Enteric glia and microbiome;
  • Glial cells in neurodegenerative diseases;
  • Glial cells in stroke and trauma;
  • Glial cells in retinal disease;
  • Glia in demyelinating disease (MS, Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease, Guillain–Barre, etc.);
  • Glia cells in hearing problems;
  • Glia–neuron axis;
  • Glia cells in sleep disorders;
  • Glial cells in psychiatric disorders;
  • Infectious diseases and glia.

Prof. Dr. Dan Frenkel
Prof. Dr. Menachem Hanani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neurodegenerative diseases
  • glia cells
  • astrocyte
  • microglia
  • stroke
  • pain
  • epilepsy
  • trauma
  • demyelinating diseases’ inflammatory diseases
  • satellite glia
  • Schwann cells
  • enteric glia

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

37 pages, 3650 KiB  
Review
Emerging Role of ABC Transporters in Glia Cells in Health and Diseases of the Central Nervous System
by Maria Villa, Jingyun Wu, Stefanie Hansen and Jens Pahnke
Cells 2024, 13(9), 740; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13090740 - 24 Apr 2024
Viewed by 461
Abstract
ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play a crucial role for the efflux of a wide range of substrates across different cellular membranes. In the central nervous system (CNS), ABC transporters have recently gathered significant attention due to their pivotal involvement in brain physiology and [...] Read more.
ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters play a crucial role for the efflux of a wide range of substrates across different cellular membranes. In the central nervous system (CNS), ABC transporters have recently gathered significant attention due to their pivotal involvement in brain physiology and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Glial cells are fundamental for normal CNS function and engage with several ABC transporters in different ways. Here, we specifically highlight ABC transporters involved in the maintenance of brain homeostasis and their implications in its metabolic regulation. We also show new aspects related to ABC transporter function found in less recognized diseases, such as Huntington’s disease (HD) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), as a model for multiple sclerosis (MS). Understanding both their impact on the physiological regulation of the CNS and their roles in brain diseases holds promise for uncovering new therapeutic options. Further investigations and preclinical studies are warranted to elucidate the complex interplay between glial ABC transporters and physiological brain functions, potentially leading to effective therapeutic interventions also for rare CNS disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Roles of Glial Cells in Human Health and Disease)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 750 KiB  
Review
Human Glial Cells as Innovative Targets for the Therapy of Central Nervous System Pathologies
by Giulia Magni, Benedetta Riboldi and Stefania Ceruti
Cells 2024, 13(7), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13070606 - 30 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1024
Abstract
In vitro and preclinical in vivo research in the last 35 years has clearly highlighted the crucial physiopathological role of glial cells, namely astrocytes/microglia/oligodendrocytes and satellite glial cells/Schwann cells in the central and peripheral nervous system, respectively. Several possible pharmacological targets to various [...] Read more.
In vitro and preclinical in vivo research in the last 35 years has clearly highlighted the crucial physiopathological role of glial cells, namely astrocytes/microglia/oligodendrocytes and satellite glial cells/Schwann cells in the central and peripheral nervous system, respectively. Several possible pharmacological targets to various neurodegenerative disorders and painful conditions have therefore been successfully identified, including receptors and enzymes, and mediators of neuroinflammation. However, the translation of these promising data to a clinical setting is often hampered by both technical and biological difficulties, making it necessary to perform experiments on human cells and models of the various diseases. In this review we will, therefore, summarize the most relevant data on the contribution of glial cells to human pathologies and on their possible pharmacological modulation based on data obtained in post-mortem tissues and in iPSC-derived human brain cells and organoids. The possibility of an in vivo visualization of glia reaction to neuroinflammation in patients will be also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Roles of Glial Cells in Human Health and Disease)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

21 pages, 4220 KiB  
Review
Satellite Glial Cells in Human Disease
by Menachem Hanani
Cells 2024, 13(7), 566; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13070566 - 23 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1167
Abstract
Satellite glial cells (SGCs) are the main type of glial cells in sensory ganglia. Animal studies have shown that these cells play essential roles in both normal and disease states. In a large number of pain models, SGCs were activated and contributed to [...] Read more.
Satellite glial cells (SGCs) are the main type of glial cells in sensory ganglia. Animal studies have shown that these cells play essential roles in both normal and disease states. In a large number of pain models, SGCs were activated and contributed to the pain behavior. Much less is known about SGCs in humans, but there is emerging recognition that SGCs in humans are altered in a variety of clinical states. The available data show that human SGCs share some essential features with SGCs in rodents, but many differences do exist. SGCs in DRG from patients suffering from common painful diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, may contribute to the pain phenotype. It was found that immunoglobulins G (IgG) from fibromyalgia patients can induce pain-like behavior in mice. Moreover, these IgGs bind preferentially to SGCs and activate them, which can sensitize the sensory neurons, causing nociception. In other human diseases, the evidence is not as direct as in fibromyalgia, but it has been found that an antibody from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis binds to mouse SGCs, which leads to the release of pronociceptive factors from them. Herpes zoster is another painful disease, and it appears that the zoster virus resides in SGCs, which acquire an abnormal morphology and may participate in the infection and pain generation. More work needs to be undertaken on SGCs in humans, and this review points to several promising avenues for better understanding disease mechanisms and developing effective pain therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Roles of Glial Cells in Human Health and Disease)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop