The Biology of Glial Cells: Recent Advances

763 Pages·2022·16.599 MB·English

by  Ishan Patro, Pankaj Seth, Nisha Patro, Prakash Narain Tandon

Ishan Patro · Pankaj Seth
Nisha Patro · Prakash Narain Tandon Editors
The Biology of
Glial Cells: Recent
Advances
The Biology of Glial Cells: Recent Advances
(cid:129) (cid:129) (cid:129)
Ishan Patro Pankaj Seth Nisha Patro
Prakash Narain Tandon
Editors
The Biology of Glial Cells:
Recent Advances
Editors
IshanPatro PankajSeth
SchoolofStudiesinNeuroscience CellularandMolecularNeurosciences
JiwajiUniversity NationalBrainResearchCentre
Gwalior,MadhyaPradesh,India Manesar,Haryana,India
NishaPatro PrakashNarainTandon
SchoolofStudiesinNeuroscience NationalBrainResearchCentre
JiwajiUniversity Manesar,Haryana,India
Gwalior,MadhyaPradesh,India
ISBN978-981-16-8312-1 ISBN978-981-16-8313-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8313-8
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Dedicated to Our Students
Foreword
As a cell biologist who spent 25 years working on deciphering the detailed
mechanisms that a cell uses to replicate its DNA, I greatly admire the courage of
themanyresearchers aroundtheglobewhoareattemptingtounderstandthebrain.
Themodel system that Ifocusedonwas frombacteriophageT4.Thisvirus infects
the E. coli bacterium; and its close relatives are abundant in the world’s oceans,
responsible for a great deal of the nutrient recycling that feeds other organisms
(Suttle, 2007). The mystery that I had to unravel was the detailed mechanism of a
proteinmachine formedfrom7virus-encodedproteins(Alberts, 1984).Thiswasa
struggleformylaboratory;butitisnothingcomparedtothetaskofmakingsenseof
the human brain, which is composed of more than 100 billion neurons, each of
which, on average, forms synapses with a thousand others in intricately patterned
arrays.Thesenervecellsaresupportedincriticalways—manynotyetunderstood—
bytheglia,thebraincellsthatoutnumbertheneuronstwotooneandarethefocusof
thismonograph.
Scienceisagreatinternationaleffortoftheworld’scommunityofscientists,and
brain science in particular is a field of tremendous challenge that will require the
talentsandresourcesofeverynationforitssuccess.India,awonderfulcountrythatI
havevisitedperhaps20times,hasanimmensescientificandtechnicalpotential.Its
attention to neuroscience has been a relatively late development, in which one
man—PrakashNarainTandon—hasplayedamajorrole.
I first met Prakash on my initial trip to India, in September 1993. The occasion
was thefirst-ever meetingof all theworld’sscience academies held inNew Delhi.
ThismeetinghadbeenorganizedbytheIndianNationalScienceAcademy(INSA),
withPrakashservingasitspresident.Itsfocuswasonworldpopulationproblems,in
order to produce a scientific view of population issues and layout a scientifically
basedagendaforachievingasustainablefuture(RoyalSociety,1994).Themeeting
wassuchasuccessthatitledtotheformationofanewpermanentorganization,the
InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), established to enhance the
importantrolesthatsciencecanplayinhumanity’sfuture.
PrakashwaschosentopresenttheviewsofscienceatthefamousUNConference
on Population and Development that was held in Cairo in September 1994. In
recognition of his immense talents and generous spirit, he was then chosen as one
ofthefirstco-chairsoftheIAP(hispartnerwasSherwoodRowland,theNobelPrize
winner who was serving as the foreign secretary of the US National Academy of
vviiii
viii Foreword
Sciences, where I was president). Prakash and I then worked together intensely on
internationalscienceissuesformorethanadecade,andweremainclosefriendsin
frequentcontact.
Itisveryunusualforadistinguishedneurosurgeontobecomealeadingscientist
inhisorhernation,muchlesstobecomealeaderforsciencearoundtheglobe.This
wasonlypossiblebecausePrakashisaveryuniqueman.Infact,heremindsmevery
much ofCharles Darwin, who wrotein his autobiography that “my mind seemsto
havebecomeakindofmachineforgrindinggenerallawsoutoflargecollectionsof
facts.” Now over 90, Prakash, mimicking Darwin’s continued long productivity,
continuestowriteprolificallyonsubjectsthatrangefromIndia’ssciencehistoryto
neurosurgery, neuroscience, and education. His latest contribution, entitled “Glial
Biology: A Historical Perspective,” is Chap. 1 in this book. Also highly
recommended is his recent autobiography, Closed doors, open windows.
(Tandon,2019).
AsPrakashpointsoutinhisintroductorychapter,oncethoughtofsimplyasthe
“glue” that maintains neurons, glial cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and
microglia)arenow recognized toperformmany different essential functionsinthe
brain, playing informative roles in processes that range from neurogenesis and
synaptogenesis to controlling the degeneration that occurs in aging and diseased
brains. The progress made to date in understanding each of these functions is the
subjectofthe26chaptersthatfollowChap.1.
Inclosing,IwanttocommendIshanPatro,PankajSeth,NishaPatro,andPrakash
NarainTandontheeditorsofthisimportantoverviewoftheexcitingandcriticalfield
of glial cell biology. The result of their efforts clearly highlights India’s many
contributions to the ongoing struggle to unravel the enormous complexities of
brain science. This volume thus represents an important part of the great interna-
tional effort to better understand fundamental human biology, a task that will be
essentialforimprovingthehumancondition.
References
Alberts BM (1984) The DNAenzymology of protein machines. Cold Spring Harb
SympQuantBiol49:1–12
Royal Society (1994) Population—the complex reality. A report of the Population
Summitoftheworld’sscientificacademies.Graham-SmithF(ed).RoyalSociety:
London
Suttle CA(2007)Marineviruses—major players intheglobalecosystem.NatRev
Microbiol5:801–812
Tandon PN (2019) Closed doors open windows: autobiography of a neurosurgeon
chasinghisdreams.WoltersKluwerHealth:India
DepartmentofBiophysicsandBiochemistry, BruceAlberts
UniversityofCalifornia,SanFrancisco(UCSF)
SanFrancisco,CA,USA
Preface
Morethana100yearsafterRudolfLudwigCarlVirchow(1821–1902)discovered
anddesignatedthesecellsofthecentralnervoussystemasNeuroGlia,implyingtheir
function as a glue. Glia continued to be considered as “Subordinate,” secondary,
supporting cells of the neurons. This notwithstanding that Ramon Cajal (1852–
1934), already in early years of the twentieth century, described the diverse mor-
phology and functions of astrocytes. And soon after Rio del Hortega (1882–1945)
identified the microglia and ascribed their possible functions and Wilder Penfield
(1891–1976)workinginhislabdefinedoligodendroglia.Nevertheless,thedominant
roleofneuronsandtheirinvolvementindiversefunctionsofthebrainpreoccupied
theattentionofmostneuroscientist—basicorclinical.
Surprisingly,itwasonlytowardstheendofthelastcenturyandmoresoduring
thelast2to3decadesthattheresearchesoftheneuroscientistsestablishedthatglia
areequalpartnersofneuronsintheirfunctions.
Fortunately, a number of neuroscientist in India also got interested in Glia
Biology around this time. In addition to their individual efforts, they constituted a
group with financial support of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of
India, to promote this field of research. PNT was supported by the National Acad-
emyofSciences(India)toworkonthisvolume.
Consequenttotheirresearchoutputpublishedasscientificpapers,itwasfeltthat
with their help a comprehensive book could be published providing an updated
accountonallaspectsofGliaBiologysincethereisapaucityofsuchliterature.This
bookistheresultofthiscollaborativeeffortofthesescientists.
The book consists of 27 chaptersdealing with basic biology of the glial cells—
their structure, functions in health and disease, their interaction with neurons and
eachother.Thisisfollowedbytheirroleinpathophysiologyofdiversediseasesof
the nervous system and mental functions. Effort is made to point out the areas for
future research and “tools” to do so. The book would be useful both for basic
neuroscientists,students,andclinicians.
WearegratefultoProf.BruceAlbertsforhisthought-provokingforeword.PNT
isspeciallytouchedbyhisverylaudatoryreferencetohim.Itisnodoubtduetotheir
verylongfriendshipandhisconcernforadvancementofIndiansciencetowhichhe
hascontributedinavarietyofways.
ix
x Preface
WearethankfultoMs.TiyashaSarkar,Ms.UrmillaJohn,andMr.SyedMujtaba
fortheirhelpintheeditorialprocessandespeciallytoDr.UrmishreeBedamatafor
languagecorrectionsinseveralofthechapters.
We wish to place in record the support rendered by the publication team of
SpringerNature.
Gwalior,India IshanPatro
Manesar,India PankajSeth
Gwalior,India NishaPatro
Manesar,India PrakashNarainTandon
About the Book
GlialcellswereidentifiedbyVirchowin1854(neuroglia).Cajalin1897elaborated
the most common of these—the astrocytes—their detailed histology and possible
functions. His pupil, del Rio Hortega, independently described the microglia and
along with Penfield elaborated the oligodendroglia (1924). Preoccupied with the
study of the neurons, for nearly a century not much attention was paid to the glial
cells—generally considered as supporting cells of the “masters”—neurons. How-
ever,glialcellsgatheredthedueattentionduringthepast2to3decades.
Enormousinformationhasthusaccumulatedinrecentyearsonthestructureand
functions of glial cells, their cross-talks among themselves and with the neurons.
These discoveries have great significance for our understanding of the complex
functionofthecentralnervoussysteminhealthanddisease.Theyarenowregarded
to be equally important cell type of the brain, as neurons. Recent studies have
established glial cells to be indispensable for neural maturation, maintenance, and
function.Theseadvancesinourunderstandingofroleofglialcellshavedesignated
glialneurobiology,asarapidlyadvancingfield.
Neuronal health and functions are regulated by the glial cells, and hence it
necessitates compilation of recent advances in our understanding of the glial cell
functions both in physiology and pathophysiology. The proposed book offers a
compilation of recent research outcomes in understanding the role of glial cells
(astrocytes, microglia, oligodendroglia, satellite cells, and the Schwann cells) in
healthanddisease.Thechaptersinthisbookarecarefullychosentocoverimportant
aspectsofgliabiology,theirroleinregulationofneuronalfunctions,andtheircross-
talkduringhealthanddisease.
Thisbookwillbedistinctfromothermaterialsavailableforthereadersduetoits
content and updated knowledge. The other attractive features of this compilation
wouldbeacomprehensive,currentyetconcisewrite-uponimportantaspectsofglial
biology—asubjectonwhichstillthereisapaucityofsuchreference-cum-textbooks.
This has prompted us to venture producing this book with the participation of
26 senior neuroscientists (and their groups), each a distinguished scientist with
personalcontributionsinthefieldhavejoinedusinthisventure.
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