Ependymal Cell

ependymal cell, type of neuronal support cell (neuroglia) that forms the epithelial lining of the ventricles (cavities) in the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. Ependymal cells also give rise to the epithelial layer that surrounds the choroid plexus, a network of blood vessels located in the walls of the lateral ventricles (the two largest ventricles, which occur as a pair in the cerebral hemispheres). Ependymal cells, similar to all other neuroglia, are derived from a layer of embryonic tissue known as neuroectoderm.

Ependymal cells and their epithelial derivatives of the choroid plexus have several important functions. In the ventricles ependymal cells possess tiny hairlike structures called cilia on their surfaces facing the open space of the cavities they line. The cilia beat in a coordinated pattern to influence the direction of flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), bringing nutrients and other substances to neurons and filtering out molecules that may be harmful to the cells. The beating of ependymal cilia also is suspected to facilitate the distribution of neurotransmitters and other chemical messengers to neurons. The layer of ependymal-derived cells surrounding the blood vessels of the choroid plexus functions mainly to produce CSF. This is accomplished through the selective uptake of water and certain other molecules from the blood into the cells. The substances are then transported across the cells and are secreted into the lateral ventricles in the form of CSF.

The ependymal cells in the ventricles are loosely joined together by special intercellular adhesion sites called desmosomes, which enable the cells to form a nearly continuous epithelial sheet over the surface of the ventricles and spinal canal. Because the junctions between the ependymal cells are loose, CSF is able to diffuse from the ventricles into the central nervous system. The cells surrounding the choroid plexus are connected by tight junctions, which prevent the leakage of substances and fluids from the blood vessels into the CSF. This protects against the unregulated entry of potentially harmful substances into the ventricles and ultimately the central nervous system.

Another type of ependymal cell, known as a tanycyte, is found only in the lining on the floor of the third ventricle in the brain. These cells are unique from other ependymal cells in that they have long processes and large “end feet” that connect to brain capillaries and neurons distant from the ventricle. Tanycytes also do not have cilia and are connected to one another by tight junctions. Tanycytes play an important role in facilitating the transport of hormones and other substances in the brain. For example, their long processes allow them to carry hormones directly from the third ventricle to the capillaries of the median eminence, which is located in the posterior lobe (neurohypophysis) of the pituitary gland. Hormones released by neurosecretory cells extending from the hypothalamus into the median eminence may be taken up by tanycytes for transport to the CSF in the third ventricle.