Mini-review: Enteric glial cell heterogeneity: Is it all about the niche?

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 2023-08, Vol.812, p.137396-137396, Article 137396
• Main Authors: Sanchini, Gabriele, Vaes, Nathalie, Boesmans, Werend
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cellular plasticity; Enteric nervous system; Gastrointestinal; Neural crest; Neurogenic; Schwann cell precursors
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137396

•Various types of enteric glial cells are distributed within the gut wall and their characteristic phenotypes are tailored to local tissue requirements.•The extensive plasticity of enteric glial cells and lack of specific molecular markers makes it difficult to assign particular functions to enteric glia subtypes.•The evidence that lineage determinants influence enteric glial cell diversity is limited.•Niche imposed attributes likely prevail phenotypic and functional traits acquired from the different neuroectodermal progenitor types that give rise to enteric glia. Enteric glial cells represent the enteric population of peripheral glia. According to their ‘glial’ nature, their principal function is to support enteric neurons in both structural and functional ways. Mounting evidence however demonstrates that enteric glial cells crucially contribute to the majority of enteric nervous system functions, thus acting as pivotal players in the maintenance of gut homeostasis. Various types of enteric glia are present within the gut wall, creating an intricate interaction network with other gastrointestinal cell types. Their distribution throughout the different layers of the gut wall translates in characteristic phenotypes that are tailored to the local tissue requirements of the digestive tract. This heterogeneity is assumed to be mirrored by functional specialization, but the extensive plasticity and versatility of enteric glial cells complicates a one on one phenotype/function definition. Moreover, the relative contribution of niche-specific signals versus lineage determinants for driving enteric glial heterogeneity is still uncertain. In this review we focus on the current understanding of phenotypic and functional enteric glial cell heterogeneity, from a microenvironmental and developmental perspective.