Glial cells, commonly called neuroglia or simply glia, are non-neuronal cells that provide support and nutrition, maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and participate in signal transmission in the nervous system. In the human brain, glia are estimated to outnumber neurons by about 10 to 1. Glial cells include microglia, and macroglia (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, radial glia, schwann cells, satellite cells).

Glial cells provide support and protection for neurons, the other main type of cell in the central nervous system. They are thus known as the "glue" of the nervous system. The four main functions of glial cells are to surround neurons and hold them in place, to supply nutrients and oxygen to neurons, to insulate one neuron from another, and to destroy pathogens and remove dead neurons.

General Glial Cell Markers

A2B5-antigen (A2B5)

• glial cell-specific antigens. PMID: 11993850

GD3

• a glial cell activation marker in cerebrospinal fluid. PMID: 9761454

Heparin

• a unique differentiation marker in the glial cell lineage. PMID: 10464276

O4-antigen (O4)

• glial cell-specific antigens. PMID: 11993850

RC1

• a selective and sensitive immunohistochemical marker of radial glial cells. PMID: 2215915

Sox-1/Sox-2

• expressed in the Bergmann glia, a population of radial glia present in the Purkinje cell layer. PMID: 16797497

Vimentin

• a radial glial marker. PMID: 15451015, PMID: 7285936, PMID: 6383523, PMID: 2462191, PMID: 8369799

Astrocyte/Astroglia Markers

Astrocytes play a critical role in maintaining normal brain physiology during development and in adulthood. played a important role in the age related deficits in learning and memory. PMID: 15843051

alpha Smooth Muscle Actin

• represents a new marker for subsets of astrocytes. PMID: 1870159

Bystin

• a marker for reactive astrocytes in the adult rat brain following injury. PMID: 15305856

GFAP

• a 49 kDa component of 8 nanometers glial intermediate filaments. PMID: 1571946
• a definitive marker of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic glial cells. PMID: 1571946
• a specific marker for astrocytes. PMID: 118210, PMID: 12808198
• glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), the astrocytic cytoskeleton. PMID: 9246230

GLT-1 and GLAST

• Both proteins were selective markers of astrocytic plasma membranes. GLT-1 was much higher in hippocampal astrocytes than in cerebellar astrocytes. PMID: 7546749

Glutamine Synthetase (GS)

• a astrocyte marker. PMID: 15843051

Mab 6.17

• recognizes a molecule associated with gliofilaments, which is essentially associated to reactive astrocytes expressing high levels of vimentin. PMID: 8581958

Mab J1-31

• recognizes a new protein present in GFAP positive cells (astrocytes) in the brain. PMID: 2421799

Non-Neuronal Enolase (NNE)

• an astrocyte marker. PMID: 7014537

S100

• astroglial proteins. PMID: 3707866
• an astrocyte marker in rat cerebellum which was confirmed by immuno-electron microscopy. PMID: 7011781

SC1

• SPARC (secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine)-related protein. PMID: 8869553
• an astrocyte marker that may be used to investigate astrocyte heterogeneity and analyze glial cell lineages during neural development. PMID: 8869553
• play an important role in reactive astrocytosis subsequent to a wide variety of neural trauma. PMID: 8869553

Microglia Markers

Cholera Toxin B subunit

• a surface marker for murine microglia but not oligodendrocytes or astrocytes. PMID: 9726431

CR3/43

• a marker for activated human microglia. PMID: 7808591

ED1

• a specific marker for activated macrophages/microglia. PMID: 15993386

Ferritin

• a marker for microglia, especially for reactive microglia and macrophages. PMID: 2596262

Keratan sulphate (5D4)

• a marker of differentiation of ramified microglia. PMID: 7544699

Ki-M1P

• a marker for microglia and brain macrophages in routinely processed human tissues. PMID: 1462766

OX-42

• a marker for activated microglia/macrophages. PMID: 15283972, PMID: 1797868

Pinocytotic Labeling

• a select cell marker for microglia, which may be extremely useful in the identification and study of ramified microglial cells. PMID: 2033242

RCA-1 (lectin)

• RCA-1 staining protocol for microglia. IHC World
• a new histochemical marker for microglia in normal human brain. PMID: 3541481, PMID: 1793382

Oligodendroglia/Oligodendrocyte Markers

GaABC2/ABCA2

• a specific marker for oligodendrocytes but not for myelinsheaths. as a lysosome-associated membrane protein that is being localized specifically in oligodendrocytes. detected only in the cell bodies of oligodendrocytes. detected mostly around lysosome and partly in Golgi apparatus by electron microscopy. PMID: 11157071

Amphoterin (P30, HMG-1) and RIP

• early markers of oligodendrocytes in the developing rat spinal cord. PMID: 8089705

Carbonic Anhydrase II (CA II)

• a marker for oligodendrocytes. PMID: 6769072
• localized in oligodendrocytes. PMID: 118210

CNPase

• a marker for oligodendrocytes. PMID: 8955887, PMID: 7756612

Galactocerebroside

• a marker for oligodendrocytes. PMID: 385109
• a specific cell-surface antigenic marker for oligodendrocytes in culture. PMID: 355894

Microtubule-Associated Protein 4 (MAP-4)

• a marker for astroglia and oligodendroglia. PMID: 3906429

Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG)

• a surface marker of oligodendrocyte maturation. PMID: 2649509

NB3C4

• a novel monoclonal antibody specific for oligodendrocytes. PMID: 11209960

Nestin

• a marker of oligodendrocyte lineage cells. PMID: 11276128

Olig2

• The oligodendroglial lineage marker, is expressed in neural progenitors and oligodendroglia and are essential for oligodendrocyte development. PMID: 15198128, PMID: 11498220, PMID: 14575240, PMID: 15111318

POP66

• a paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis-related antigen, is a marker of adult oligodendrocytes. PMID: 9600223

Sulph I

• identify oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. PMID: 12111819

Transferrin Binding Protein (TfBP)

• a marker for avian oligodendrocytes. PMID: 7773685

Transferrin

• an oligodendrocyte-specific marker which is expressed earlier than galactocerebroside. PMID: 3213576

Schwann Cell Markers

1E8 (P0)

• an early marker for the Schwann cell lineage and specific for myelinating and nonmyelinating Schwann cells in mature chickens. PMID: 1720625

217c (Ran-1)

• a marker for normal Schwann cells. PMID: 4069357, PMID: 2806124
• associated with adult non-myelin-forming Schwann cells. PMID: 2209471

AN2

• expressed by immature Schwann cells in vitro and in vivo and downregulated as the cells upregulate myelin genes. PMID: 11157078

Beta 4 integrin

• a Schwann cell marker in axonal neuropathy. PMID: 8856326

Herp

• a marker for terminal Schwann cells. PMID: 12927800

Laminin

• immunocytochemical markers for human Schwann cells in vitro. PMID: 3732467

S-100 protein

• a well established marker for normal and neoplastic Schwann cells, PMID: 2413766

Schwann/2E

• a useful immunohistochemical marker of Schwann cells and myelin of the PNS. PMID: 9589489

SCIP (also known as Tst-1 or Oct-6)

• expressed in proliferating Schwann cells in the PNS and O2A progenitor cells in the developing CNS. PMID: 7905511