Glial cells are a type of brain cells that surround and nourish neurons, and are also involved in mounting immune responses within the central nervous system.
Glia is also present and active in several organs, like the gut, pancreas, spleen, and lungs in the peripheral nervous system. However, their precise function is poorly understood.
In recent times, it is found that heart expresses a known astroglial marker, and a part of the developing heart (called the outflow tract) comprises of cell groups derived from an embryonic structure called the neural crest (source of most peripheral glial cells).
These evidence allowed the study team to identify abundant group of these cells in the heart’s ventricles of zebra fish that produced glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP – classic marker of glia).
Presence of GFAP
Moreover, the GFAP-positive cells were also found in the hearts of mice and humans. Killing these cells increased the rate of nerve development in the embryonic heart, suggesting they play an inhibitory or delaying role in cardiac innervation.
These outflow tract glial cells were termed as nexus glia. The results greatly expand the understanding of the role of glial cells in the heart and other organs where they have been glimpsed.
“Our findings indicate an extensive and under-explored network of organ-associated glia that have functional roles dependent upon the environment. Further understanding of these specialized astroglial populations is therefore necessary, given their potential impact on organ physiology,” says Cody Smith, study author at the University of Notre Dame.
Source: Medindia
