Though much is known about microtubule organization and microtubule‐based transport in neurons, the development and function of microtubules in glia are more enigmatic. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature on microtubules in ramified brain cells, including oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia. We focus on normal cell biology—how structure relates to function in these cells. In oligodendrocytes, microtubules are important for extension of processes that contact axons and for elongating the myelin sheath. Recent studies demonstrate that new microtubules can form outside of the oligodendrocyte cell body off of Golgi outpost organelles. In astrocytes and microglia, changes in cell shape and ramification can be influenced by neighboring cells and the extracellular milieu. Finally, we highlight key papers implicating glial microtubule defects in neurological injury and disease and discuss how microtubules may contribute to invasiveness in gliomas. Thus, future research on the mechanisms underlying microtubule organization in normal glial cell function may yield valuable insights on neurological disease pathology.

中文翻译：

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少突胶质细胞、星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞中的微管组织和动力学

尽管对神经元中的微管组织和基于微管的运输了解很多，但神经胶质中微管的发育和功能却更加神秘。在这篇综述中，我们概述了有关分支脑细胞中微管的文献，包括少突胶质细胞、星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞。我们专注于正常细胞生物学——结构如何与这些细胞的功能相关。在少突胶质细胞中，微管对于延长接触轴突的过程和延长髓鞘很重要。最近的研究表明，新的微管可以在高尔基前哨细胞器的少突胶质细胞体外形成。在星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞中，细胞形状和分支的变化会受到邻近细胞和细胞外环境的影响。最后，我们重点介绍了与神经损伤和疾病中的胶质微管缺陷有关的关键论文，并讨论了微管如何有助于胶质瘤的侵袭性。因此，未来对正常神经胶质细胞功能中微管组织机制的研究可能会对神经疾病病理学产生有价值的见解。