Enteric Glial Cells in Immunological Disorders of the Gut

Chang Liu; Jing Yang

doi:10.3389/fncel.2022.895871

Enteric Glial Cells in Immunological Disorders of the Gut

Front Cell Neurosci. 2022 Apr 28:16:895871. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2022.895871. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Chang Liu^{1

2

3}, Jing Yang^{1

4

5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
³ College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁵ IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁶ Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
⁷ Institute of Molecular Physiology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China.

Abstract

Enteric glial cells (EGCs) are one of the major cell types of neural crest lineage distributed in the gastrointestinal tract. EGCs represent an integral part of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and significantly outnumber ENS neurons. Studies have suggested that EGCs would exert essential roles in supporting the survival and functions of the ENS neurons. Notably, recent evidence has begun to reveal that EGCs could possess multiple immune functions and thereby may participate in the immune homeostasis of the gut. In this review article, we will summarize the current evidence supporting the potential involvement of EGCs in several important immunological disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and autoimmune enteropathy. Further, we highlight critical questions on the immunological aspects of EGCs that warrant future research attention.

Keywords: autoimmune enteropathy; celiac disease; enteric glial cells; enteric nervous system; inflammatory bowel disease.

Publication types

Review