NG2 cells: Properties, progeny and origin

Those enigmatic NG2 cells . . . .

Synaptic integration by NG2 cells

NG2 expressing oligodendrocyte precursor cells stand out from other types of glial cells by receiving classical synaptic contacts from many neurons. This unconventional form of signaling between neurons and glial cells enables NG2 cells to receive information about the activity of presynaptic neurons with high temporal and spatial precision and has been postulated to be involved in activity-dep...

Synaptic communication between neurons and NG2+ cells.

Chemical synaptic transmission provides the basis for much of the rapid signaling that occurs within neuronal networks. However, recent studies have provided compelling evidence that synapses are not used exclusively for communication between neurons. Physiological and anatomical studies indicate that a distinct class of glia known as NG2(+) cells also forms direct synaptic junctions with both ...

NG2+ cells feed the brain

Slingshot to the lamellipod he actin cytoskeleton at the front of migrating cells is an ever-changing species. Although actin is polymerized in the lamellipod, the filaments that are built remain dynamic. Their turnover is mediated by cofilin, which stimulates filament disassembly at or near the pointed ends, thus providing monomers for further polymerization. On page 465, Nagata-Ohashi et al. ...

Origin and progeny of reactive gliosis: A source of multipotent cells in the injured brain.

Reactive gliosis is the universal reaction to brain injury, but the precise origin and subsequent fate of the glial cells reacting to injury are unknown. Astrocytes react to injury by hypertrophy and up-regulation of the glial-fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Whereas mature astrocytes do not normally divide, a subpopulation of the reactive GFAP(+) cells does so, prompting the question of wheth...