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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Aug 1.
Published in final edited form as: Neuroscientist. 2022 Apr 2;29(4):445–460. doi: 10.1177/10738584221082620

Table 1.

Functional, molecular, and transcriptional heterogeneoty of astrocutes across brain regions.

Region Functional Molecular Transcriptional References
HP

  • Resting conductance of astrocytes

  • NFIA dependent astrocyte morphology, Ca2+ dynamics, and hippocampal circuit control

  • Enriched expression of GFAP

  • Differential expression of Kir4.1

  • Differential gene profiling with 5 subpopulations of astrocytes

  • NFIA dependent gene profiling

  • Transcriptionally dependent upon NFIA

 (Batiuk and others 2020; Chai and others 2017; Huang and others 2020; Tang, Taniguchi and Kofuji 2009)
ST N/A

  • Enriched expression of μ-Crystallin

 (Chai and others 2017)
OB

  • Sox9 dependent astrocyte morphology, Ca2+ dynamics, and OB circuit control

  • Differential gene profiling with 5 subpopulations of astrocytes

  • Sox9 dependent gene profiling

  • Transcriptionally dependent upon Sox9

 (John Lin and others 2017; Ung and others 2021)
BS N/A

  • Differential gene profiling with 5 subpopulations of astrocytes

  • Selective expression of Nkx6.1

 (John Lin and others 2017; Lozzi and others 2020)
CX

  • Subcortical neurite growth dependent on subcortical astrocytes

  • Differential morphological complexity & proximity to synapse of layer special astrocyte

  • Kir4.1 dependent resting membrane potential and passive conductance

  • Synapse maturation by Chrdl1+ astrocyte

  • Differential expression of Kir4.1

  • Deferential expression of Glypican 4 / Chrdl1

  • Differential gene profiling with 5 subpopulations of astrocytes

  • Layer specific gradient expression of TFs

 (Batiuk and others 2020; Blanco-Suarez and others 2018; Farhy-Tselnicker and others 2021; John Lin and others 2017; Morel and others 2019)
SP

  • Motor circuit function by ventral horn astrocytes

  • Mechanosensory processing

  • Enriched expression of Sema3a/Kir4.1 in ventral horn

  • Hes5+ / LFNG+ astrocytes

  • Pax6/Nkx6.1-mediated generation of astrocyte subtypes in SP

 (Akdemir and others 2021; Hochstim and others 2008; Kelley and others 2018; Kohro and others 2020; Molofsky and others 2014)

HP: hippocampus; ST: striatum; OB: olfactory bulb; BS: brain stem; CX: cortex; SP: spinal cord