BEYOND PROGENITORS: SYNAPTIC AND MIGRATORY ROLES OF NG2 GLIA IN THE ADULT OLFACTORY PATHWAY

NG2-glia, historically classified as oligodendrocyte precursor cells, are increasingly recognized as a distinct glial population with functional properties that extend beyond established role as multipotent progenitor. In particular, their interactions with neuronal synapses and their potential involvement in cell migration within adult neurogenic niches remain active areas of investigation, especially along the SVZ–RMS–OB axis.
NG2 glia have been shown to express synaptic proteins and receive direct synaptic input from neurons, suggesting their participation in local synaptic networks. In parallel, NG2 glia have been proposed to interact with migrating neuroblasts and to contribute to the structural and molecular organization of neurogenic environments. However, how these synaptic and migratory features relate to one another is still poorly understood.
In this work, we examined NG2 glial interactions with the synaptic environment in the olfactory bulb using high-resolution TauSTED-Xtend imaging of pre- and post-synaptic markers in transgenic reporter mouse lines targeting the NG2/PDGFRα population. We also performed a morphometric analysis of cellular interactions between NG2 glia, GFAP-positive astrocytes, and DCX-positive migrating neuroblasts along the SVZ–RMS–OB axis. In parallel, we conducted a meta-analysis of ten publicly available transcriptomic datasets from multiple brain regions to compare NG2 glia with astroglial and oligodendroglial populations, focusing on synapse- and migration-related gene expression profiles.
Our preliminary results support the view that NG2 glia are strategically positioned to interact with both synaptic elements and migrating cells, suggesting a potential integrative role in the organization of adult neurogenic circuits.
This work was supported by the grant PID2022-136882NB-I00MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.