Metabolic and immune dysfunction of glia in neurodegenerative disorders: Focus on iPSC models

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) created from fibroblasts or other easily accessible human cells can be differentiated into patient ‐specific glia such as oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and microglia, and grown together with neurons in culture or in vivo for investigating the role and molecular mechanisms of the glial cell in neurodegenerative diseases. AbstractThe research on neurodegenerative disorders has long focused on neuronal pathology and used transgenic mice as disease models. However, our understanding of the chronic neurodegenerative process in the human brain is still very limited. It is increasingly recognized that neuronal loss is not caused solely by intrinsic degenerative processes but rather via impaired interactions with surrounding glia and other brain cells. Dysfunctional astrocytes do not provide sufficient nutrients and antioxidants to the neurons, while dysfunctional microglia cannot efficiently clear pathogens and cell debris from extracellular space, thus resulting in chronic inflammatory processes in the brain. Importantly, human glia, especially the astrocytes, differ significantly in morphology and function from their mouse counterparts, and therefore more human ‐based disease models are needed. Recent advances in stem cell technology make it possible to reprogram human patients' somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and differentiate them further into patient‐specific glia and neurons, thus providing a virtually unlimited...
Source: Stem Cells - Category: Stem Cells Authors: Tags: CONCISE REVIEW Source Type: research