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Novel functional roles for enteric glia in the gastrointestinal tract

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 9, pages 625–632 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Enteric glia are a unique class of peripheral glial cells within the gastrointestinal tract. Major populations of enteric glia are found in enteric ganglia in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses of the enteric nervous system (ENS); these cells are also found outside of the ENS, within the circular muscle and in the lamina propria of the mucosa. These different populations of cells probably represent unique classes of glial cells with differing functions. In the past few years, enteric glia have been found to be involved in almost every gut function including motility, mucosal secretion and host defence. Subepithelial glia seem to have a trophic and supporting relationship with intestinal epithelial cells, but the necessity of these roles in the maintenance of normal epithelial functions remains to be shown. Likewise, glia within enteric ganglia are activated by synaptic stimulation, suggesting an active role in synaptic transmission, but the precise role of glial activation in normal enteric network activity is unclear. Excitingly, enteric glia can also give rise to new neurons, but seemingly only under limited circumstances. In this Review, we discuss the current body of evidence supporting functional roles of enteric glia and identify key gaps in our understanding of the physiology of these unique cells.

Key Points

  • Unique populations of glial cells reside at multiple levels through the gut wall along the length of the gastrointestinal tract

  • At the level of the mucosa, enteric glia influence epithelial cells and, thus, epithelial barrier function

  • Within enteric ganglia, enteric glia are similar to the astrocytes of the central nervous system, detecting and integrating neural activity

  • Enteric glia have the potential to modulate enteric neurotransmission, but exactly how they influence enteric circuits is unknown

  • Enteric glia have a neurogenic capacity in vitro that seems to be largely suppressed in vivo

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Figure 1: Astrocytes and enteric glia.
Figure 2: Subpopulations of enteric glia.
Figure 3: Types of enteric glial cells.

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Acknowledgements

K. Sharkey is supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and is an Alberta Innovates–Health Solutions (AI–HS) Medical Scientist who holds the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC) Chair in IBD Research at the University of Calgary. B. Gulbransen holds fellowships from the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG)/CIHR and AI–HS/ CCFC. The authors thank Winnie Ho for technical assistance with Figure 1.

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  1. Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive, North West Calgary, T2N 4N1, AB, Canada

    Brian D. Gulbransen & Keith A. Sharkey

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B. Gulbransen researched data for the article. Both authors contributed equally to discussion of content, writing and review or editing the manuscript before submission.

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Correspondence to Keith A. Sharkey.

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Gulbransen, B., Sharkey, K. Novel functional roles for enteric glia in the gastrointestinal tract. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 9, 625–632 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2012.138

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