Astrocyte Development in the Rodent.

Abstract

Astrocytes have gained increasing recognition as key elements of a broad array of nervous system functions. These include essential roles in synapse formation and elimination, synaptic modulation, maintenance of the blood-brain barrier, energetic support, and neural repair after injury or disease of the nervous system. Nevertheless, our understanding of mechanisms underlying astrocyte development and maturation remains far behind that of neurons and oligodendrocytes. Early efforts to understand astrocyte development focused primarily on their specification from embryonic progenitors and the molecular mechanisms driving the switch from neuron to glial production. Considerably, less is known about postnatal stages of astrocyte development, the period during which they are predominantly generated and mature. Notably, this period is coincident with synapse formation and the emergence of nascent neural circuits. Thus, a greater understanding of astrocyte development is likely to shed new light on the formation and maturation of synapses and circuits. Here, we highlight key foundational principles of embryonic and postnatal astrocyte development, focusing largely on what is known from rodent studies.