Astrocyte nerve cell. Fluorescent light micrograph of an astrocyte cell from a human brain. Intermediate filaments (IFs), part of the cell's cytoskeleton, have been dyed green. The cell nucleus, which contains the cell's genetic information DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) packaged in chromosomes, is pink. The centre point of each chromosome, the centromere, is red. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell. They provide structural support and protection for neurons (nerve cells) and also supply them with nutrients and oxygen. The cells cannot transmit electric signals and so insulate neurons from one another.