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Neuroscience Cell Identity Markers |
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The nervous system consists of a complex variety of neurons and non-neuronal cells. The neuronal compartment alone contains billions of neurons, with a not yet fully characterized number of neuronal subtypes. 
What are Neurons?
Neurons are electrically excitable cells that transmit signals (electrical and chemical) supporting a wide range of functions including cognition, sensory perception and movement. Morphologically, neurons contain four well defined structural compartments including dendrites, soma, axon and synaptic terminal. Morphology and connectivity have traditionally been instrumental in neuronal identification. Nevertheless, depending on investigator’s objectives, neuronal identification often requires the detection of several molecular markers to:
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Commonly Used Neuronal Markers
Notes: *In comparison with beta-III Tubulin, MAP2 labels more mature neurons.
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What are Non-Neuronal Glia Cells?Glial cells are non-neuronal cells found in the central and peripheral nervous system including microglia and macroglia cells. Among these, macroglia cells include astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, radial glia, Schwann cells and satellite cells. Glial cells function to support a variety of neuronal activities including migration, axonal outgrowth and synaptic activity. Additionally, glial cells provide neurons with trophic and metabolic support and help maintain synaptic homeostasis.View all Glial Cell Marker Products
Astrocytes Astrocytes are the most ubiquitous and diverse of the glial cells, being both functionally and molecularly diverse. Functionally, astrocytes play a role in neurotransmitter clearance, ion homeostasis and in the regulation of synapse number, thereby modulating neuronal activity through different mechanisms. Their molecular diversity is exemplified by the variable expression of key proteins including glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFAP), glutamate transporter (Glt1/EAAT2) and the gap junction protein connexin 30 (Cx30). Particularly, GFAP expression, often used as a reliable astrocyte marker, is not always expressed by astrocytes and is more common to reactive and white matter astrocytes. Markers for mature astrocytes include aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1 member L1 (Aldh1L1), aldolase C (AldoC), glutamate transporter-1 (Glt1), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100b) and Aquaporin 4.Two types of astrocytes are currently recognized, although morphological studies suggest a greater diversity. |
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Oligodendrocytes Oligodendrocytes provide metabolic support and myelinate neuronal axons in the CNS. Insulating-myelin sheaths are indispensable for fast action potential conduction along the neuronal axon. Oligodendrocytes may be molecularly identified by the expression of various markers including myelin basic protein (MBP), Sox10, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), carbonic anhydrase II, CNPase (2’,3’-cyclic nucleotide 3’-phosphohydrolase), Nogo-A and proteolipid protein (PLP). More recently a new marker for mature oligodendrocytes, Tmem10/Opalin, was identified which is co-expressed with other markers including MOG and MBP in myelinated fibers. |
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Microglia Microglia are the immune cells of the nervous system. They are macrophages that serve as the first line of immune defense in the CNS targeting damaged neurons, plaques and infectious agents for phagocytosis. Even in the absence of a trigger or insult to the brain, microglia constantly monitor their surrounding tissues and participate in the maintenance of homeostasis. During development, microglia derived factors influence neuronal survival, either supporting survival or inducing cell death via apoptosis.Identification of microglia has traditionally relied on markers such as CD45 expression and more recently Cx3cr1. A nuance in the field has been the identification of Tmem119 as a microglia specific marker.
Orthogonal Strategies Validation. Immunohistochemistry-Paraffin: TMEM119 Antibody [NBP2-30792] - Staining in human cerebral cortex and liver tissues. Corresponding TMEM119 RNA-seq data are presented for the same tissues. Staining of human cerebral cortex shows moderate to strong membranous positivity in microglia. Staining of human liver shows no positivity in hepatocytes as expected.
Immunohistochemistry-Paraffin: P2Y12/P2RY12 Antibody [NBP2-33870] - Staining of human cerebral cortex shows strong cytoplasmic positivity in microglia. Following an insult to the brain, for example by infectious pathogens crossing the blood-brain barrier, microglia transform from a ramified to an amoeboid morphology, which correlate with their inactive and active states, respectively. Upon activation, microglia undergo changes in gene expression that underscore their new functionalities, for example the ability to produce inflammatory substances and phagocytose.
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Genes Modulated by LPS-induced Microglia Activation
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