# Neuron-satellite glia interactions in the sympathetic nervous system

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $549,911

## Abstract

The sympathetic nervous system is a key regulator of whole body physiology. A
dysfunctional sympathetic nervous system is linked to a growing list of human disorders
including chronic heart failure, hypertension, and insulin resistance. Despite decades of
research on sympathetic neurons, satellite glia, the major glial cells in sympathetic ganglia,
have remained an enigmatic component of the system. Satellite glia tightly ensheathe
sympathetic neuron cell bodies. In recent work, we revealed a role for satellite glial cells
in restricting neuron activity to thereby modulate sympathetic output to peripheral organs.
Our findings suggest that sympathetic neurons and their surrounding satellite glia should
be considered as structural and functional units that orchestrate the formation and
functioning of the sympathetic nervous system. However, satellite glia are a vastly under-
studied cell type in the nervous system, with limited understanding of their development,
neuron-glia communication, and how they contribute to neural circuits.
 This application addresses this knowledge gap by seeking to define how
sympathetic neuron-satellite glia units are established during development, and how
perturbations in this process impact neuronal connectivity and function. Based on our
preliminary results, we hypothesize that target-derived neurotrophin signaling in
sympathetic neurons instructs contact-based interactions with neighboring satellite glia
during development. The goal of this application is to test this hypothesis and define the
molecular underpinnings of this bi-directional neuron-satellite glia interactions using
genetic mouse models, neuron-glia co-cultures, biochemistry, and imaging. Our studies
will establish a fundamental knowledge of how these poorly studied glial cells contribute
to nervous system connectivity and function and will inform new strategies for treating
disorders linked to sympathetic dysfunction.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10854978
- **Project number:** 5R01NS133423-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Rejji Kuruvilla
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $549,911
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10854978

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10854978, Neuron-satellite glia interactions in the sympathetic nervous system (5R01NS133423-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10854978. Licensed CC0.

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