PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Oshri Avraham
AU  - Alexander Chamessian
AU  - Rui Feng
AU  - Alexandra E. Halevi
AU  - Amy M. Moore
AU  - Robert W. Gereau IV
AU  - Valeria Cavalli
TI  - Profiling the molecular signature of Satellite Glial Cells at the single cell level reveals high similarities between rodent and human
AID  - 10.1101/2021.04.17.440274
DP  - 2021 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2021.04.17.440274
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/18/2021.04.17.440274.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/18/2021.04.17.440274.full
AB  - Peripheral sensory neurons located in dorsal root ganglia relay sensory information from the peripheral tissue to the brain. Satellite glial cells (SGC) are unique glial cells that form an envelope completely surrounding each sensory neuron soma. This organization allows for close bi-directional communication between the neuron and it surrounding glial coat. Morphological and molecular changes in SGC have been observed in multiple pathological conditions such as inflammation, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, viral infection and nerve injuries. There is evidence that changes in SGC contribute to chronic pain by augmenting neuronal activity in various rodent pain models. SGC also play a critical role in axon regeneration. Whether findings made in rodent model systems are relevant to human physiology have not been investigated. Here we present a detailed characterization of the transcriptional profile of SGC in mouse, rat and human at the single cell level. Our findings suggest that key features of SGC in rodent models are conserved in human. Our study provides the potential to leverage on rodent SGC properties and identify potential targets for the treatment of nerve repair and alleviation of painful conditions.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.