Interleukin 4 modulates microglia homeostasis and attenuates the early slowly progressive phase of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

ABSTRACT: Microglia activation is a commonly pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating disorder characterized by a selective motor neurons degeneration. Whether such activation might represent a causal event rather than a secondary epiphenomenon remains elusive. Here, we show that CNS-delivery of IL-4-via a lentiviral-mediated gene therapy strategy-skews microglia to proliferate, inducing these cells to adopt the phenotype of slowly proliferating cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed that IL-4-treated microglia express a broad number of genes normally encoded by embryonic microglia. Since embryonic microglia sustain CNS development, we then hypothesized that turning adult microglia to acquire such phenotype via IL-4 might be an e

SUBMITTER: Rossi C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5833860 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature