Starring roles for astroglia in barrier pathologies of gut and brain

The gastrointestinal tract is a highly innervated organ and enteric neuropathy is emerging as a central feature of a wide range of gut diseases. Although most considerations of the enteric nervous system have focused on neuronal dysfunction, a large population of astrocyte-like glia populates gut muscle layers and the intestinal mucosa, and mounting new evidence points toward enteric glia as active participants in gut pathology. Similarly, in the central nervous system increasing evidence suggests that dysfunctions of astrocytes play central roles in disease mechanisms. On the basis of the premise that gut-brain disease paradigms may exist, we explore the possibility that enteric glia constitute a previously unrecognized disease target in pathologies associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction, notably inflammatory bowel disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, autoimmune disease and neurotrophic virus infection of the gut.