MINI REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Molecular and Cellular Pathology
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Glia in Shaping and Maintaining Neural Organization and PatterningView all articles
Dendrite glia interactions: Lessons from the C. elegans amphid sense organ
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seton Hall University, South Orange Village, United States
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Glia are critical components of the nervous system, regulating the development and function of associated neurons. While much attention has focused on interactions between glia and axons, growing evidence highlights the importance of critical and evolutionarily conserved interactions between glia and dendrites, particularly in organisms with simple nervous systems such as Caenorhabditis elegans. Glia critically support the structure and function of associated dendrites through regulation of the ionic microenvironment, uptake of extracellular vesicles and fragments, and signaling regulation downstream of direct glial sensation of environmental stimuli in the major C. elegans sense organs. Glia also elicit beneficial responses upon defects in dendrite structure, stress, aging, and perhaps exposure to pathogens. Emerging themes are that a single glial cell can regulate distinct interacting dendrites differently and that neurons can communicate extra-synaptically via a shared interacting glial cell.
Keywords: Dendrite, glia, C. elegans, Sense organ, Amphid
Received: 29 Sep 2025; Accepted: 05 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Varandas. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Katherine C. Varandas, katherine.varandas@shu.edu
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