For their newly reported research, Reh and colleagues genetically modified human Müller glia in the lab to switch on neuron-specific genetic programs that would naturally happen in fish.

Neuron Regeneration Following Brain Injury Activated by Neuron and Glia Connection. June 20, 2022. Neurons (in red) and brain glial cells (in green) are illuminated in the fly brain.

The study has several strengths, including its detailed analysis of retinal structure, protein levels, and gene expression, as well as its use of both neuron- and glia-specific gene expression to ...

The team chose to study glia, dendrites, and cilia in the nematode C. elegans, a model organism cherished by basic researchers for its straightforward genetics and well-studied biology.

This isn’t the first 3D model system involving hiPSC-derived neurons and glia. For example, co-author Erik Ullian of UCSF previously led development of a similar system with neurons and astrocytes ...

Interestingly, the impulses, also called action potentials, originate from tumor cells that are part neuron and part glia, supporting the groundbreaking idea that neurons are not the only cells ...

"Interestingly, we found non-tumor cells that are neuron-glia hybrids, suggesting that this hybrid population not only plays a role in glioma growth but also contributes to healthy brain function." ...