Gliogenesis articles from across Nature Portfolio

Myelination is often compromised in ATR-X intellectual disability syndrome patients. Here, the authors show that the causative gene, ATRX, can regulate myelination in mice by modulating systemic thyroxine levels and by supporting oligodendrocyte progenitor differentiation.

The enteric nervous system encompasses the gut-intrinsic neuroglial networks that regulate gastrointestinal functions. Based on single-cell analysis, the authors propose a model in which neurogenic differentiation paths branch from a gliogenic trajectory.

The transcriptional program underlying the origin of glial cells is unclear. Here the authors leverage single-cell/single-nucleus transcriptional and chromatin accessibility profiling to identify candidate cell fate specification genes and optimize a rapid astrocyte differentiation protocol.

The cellular responses below the lesion remain unclear after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, authors show region-heterogeneous responses in the SCI monkey by single-cell transcriptomics analysis and uncover the mechanism of scaffold-based SCI repair.

The factors that regulate astrogenesis during development are not completely understood. Here the authors propose a data-driven framework to leverage transcriptomic data to identify ligand–receptor pairs promoting astrogenesis and validate their effects in human cortical organoids and fetal progenitor cells.

Communication between diverse cell types is crucial to the development of the nervous system. However, the secreted signals that help to switch the cell fates of progenitor cells from neurogenesis to astrogenesis are not fully understood. Experiments in human tissues show that five ligands work together to push astrocyte generation and maturation.

Microglia are highly heterogeneous and plastic. However, the dynamics of their turnover have been difficult to visualize. A new multicolor reporter system reveals a plastic but stable network of microglia during health and disease.

Inhibition of GLI1 promotes the endogenous response to demyelination, including the recruitment and differentiation of neural stem cells.