Open AccessIdentification of astroglia-like cardiac nexus glia that are critical regulators of cardiac development and function
Author(s) -
Nina L. Kikel-Coury,
Jacob P. Brandt,
Isabel A. Correia,
Michael R. O’Dea,
Dana F. DeSantis,
Felicity Sterling,
Kevin T. Vaughan,
Gulberk Ozcebe,
Pınar Zorlutuna,
Cody J. Smith
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.127
H-Index - 271
eISSN - 1545-7885
pISSN - 1544-9173
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001444
Subject(s) - biology , neural crest , astrocyte , zebrafish , neuroscience , nexus (standard) , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroglia , central nervous system , embryo , genetics , gene , computer science , embedded system
Glial cells are essential for functionality of the nervous system. Growing evidence underscores the importance of astrocytes; however, analogous astroglia in peripheral organs are poorly understood. Using confocal time-lapse imaging, fate mapping, and mutant genesis in a zebrafish model, we identify a neural crest–derived glial cell, termed nexus glia, which utilizes Meteorin signaling via Jak/Stat3 to drive differentiation and regulate heart rate and rhythm. Nexus glia are labeled with gfap , glast , and glutamine synthetase , markers that typically denote astroglia cells. Further, analysis of single-cell sequencing datasets of human and murine hearts across ages reveals astrocyte-like cells, which we confirm through a multispecies approach. We show that cardiac nexus glia at the outflow tract are critical regulators of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. These data establish the crucial role of glia on cardiac homeostasis and provide a description of nexus glia in the PNS.