Distinct organelle signatures and stress response in neurons and astrocytes
Two major cell types in the brain are neurons and astrocytes that control diverse physiological and neurological functions. Neurons and astrocytes also have different organelles but in-depth characterization of these organelles like mitochondria, lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), peroxisomes, Golgi and lipid droplets in live neural cells and astrocytes has not been performed.
In this study, the researchers demonstrate that neurons and astrocytes have distinct organelle compositions, morphologies, interactions, distributions, and dynamics. They show prominent mitochondrial composition and interactions in neurons, while astrocytes contain more lysosomes and lipid droplet interactions.
Through direct comparison between cell types, they find that these ‘‘organelle signatures’’ reflect known physiological functions and are remodeled following acute stress in a cell-type- and stress specific manner. The authors demonstrate neurons display a more robust organelle response than astrocytes to acute oxidative or ER stress.
https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)01051-4
