Astrocyte heterogeneity from a developmental, molecular and functional point of view

Astrocytes are one of the most important cell types that could be found throughout the CNS. They serve the CNS through the modulation of synaptic formation and transmission, they maintain the homeostasis in the synaptic cleft and give metabolic support to neurons, they also contribute to the blood-brain barrier formation which is fundamental for the maintenance of a healthy CNS. Several recent studies suggested that astrocytes are a heterogeneous population of cells, and in order to analyze how this diversity is generated, how it is distributed among the CNS and how it may contribute to the pathogenesis of a pathological state I considered three studies that dissected the heterogeneity through RNA sequencing experiments principally. The results confirmed the presence of heterogeneity, moreover they showed the existence of positional identity and different functionalities among the cells, thus giving further importance to astrocytes that may be more interesting that they seem.