Th1 cells downregulate connexin 43 gap junctions in astrocytes via microglial activation.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Watanabe M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5143974 | BioStudies | 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z
REPOSITORIES: biostudies
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Project description:<h4>Background</h4>Exposure to increased manganese (Mn) causes inflammation and neuronal injury in the cortex and basal ganglia, resulting in neurological symptoms resembling Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying neuronal death from exposure to Mn are not well understood but involve inflammatory activation of microglia and astrocytes. Expression of neurotoxic inflammatory genes in glia is highly regulated through the NF-?B pathway, but factors modulating neurotoxic glial-glial and glial-neuronal signaling by Mn are not well understood.<h4>Methods</h4>We examined the role of NF-?B in Mn-induced neurotoxicity by exposing purified microglia, astrocytes (from wild-type and astrocyte-specific IKK knockout mice), and mixed glial cultures to varying Mn concentrations and then treating neurons with the conditioned media (GCM) of each cell type. We hypothesized that mixed glial cultures exposed to Mn (0-100 ?M) would enhance glial activation and neuronal death compared to microglia, wild-type astrocytes, or IKK-knockout astrocytes alone or in mixed cultures.<h4>Results</h4>Mixed glial cultures treated with 0-100 ?M Mn for 24 h showed the most pronounced effect of increased expression of inflammatory genes including inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2), Tnf, Ccl5, Il6, Ccr2, Il1b, and the astrocyte-specific genes, C3 and Ccl2. Gene deletion of IKK2 in astrocytes dramatically reduced cytokine release in Mn-treated mixed glial cultures. Measurement of neuronal viability and apoptosis following exposure to Mn-GCM demonstrated that mixed glial cultures induced greater neuronal death than either cell type alone. Loss of IKK in astrocytes also decreased neuronal death compared to microglia alone, wild-type astrocytes, or mixed glia.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This suggests that astrocytes are a critical mediator of Mn neurotoxicity through enhanced expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, including those most associated with a reactive phenotype such as CCL2 but not C3.
2018-01-01 | S-EPMC6247759 | BioStudies
Project description:BACKGROUND:As the primary immune response cell in the central nervous system, microglia constantly monitor the microenvironment and respond rapidly to stress, infection, and injury, making them important modulators of neuroinflammatory responses. In diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and human immunodeficiency virus-induced dementia, activation of microglia precedes astrogliosis and overt neuronal loss. Although microgliosis is implicated in manganese (Mn) neurotoxicity, the role of microglia and glial crosstalk in Mn-induced neurodegeneration is poorly understood. METHODS:Experiments utilized immunopurified murine microglia and astrocytes using column-free magnetic separation. The effect of Mn on microglia was investigated using gene expression analysis, Mn uptake measurements, protein production, and changes in morphology. Additionally, gene expression analysis was used to determine the effect Mn-treated microglia had on inflammatory responses in Mn-exposed astrocytes. RESULTS:Immunofluorescence and flow cytometric analysis of immunopurified microglia and astrocytes indicated cultures were 97 and 90% pure, respectively. Mn treatment in microglia resulted in a dose-dependent increase in pro-inflammatory gene expression, transition to a mixed M1/M2 phenotype, and a de-ramified morphology. Conditioned media from Mn-exposed microglia (MCM) dramatically enhanced expression of mRNA for Tnf, Il-1β, Il-6, Ccl2, and Ccl5 in astrocytes, as did exposure to Mn in the presence of co-cultured microglia. MCM had increased levels of cytokines and chemokines including IL-6, TNF, CCL2, and CCL5. Pharmacological inhibition of NF-κB in microglia using Bay 11-7082 completely blocked microglial-induced astrocyte activation, whereas siRNA knockdown of Tnf in primary microglia only partially inhibited neuroinflammatory responses in astrocytes. CONCLUSIONS:These results provide evidence that NF-κB signaling in microglia plays an essential role in inflammatory responses in Mn toxicity by regulating cytokines and chemokines that amplify the activation of astrocytes.
2017-01-01 | S-EPMC5418760 | BioStudies
Project description:Neuronal plasticity is regulated by the ovarian steroids estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) in many normal brain functions, as well as in acute response to injury and chronic neurodegenerative disease. In a female rat model of axotomy, the E2-dependent compensatory neuronal sprouting is antagonized by P4. To resolve complex glial-neuronal cell interactions, we used the "wounding-in-a-dish" model of neurons cocultured with astrocytes or mixed glia (microglia to astrocytes, 1:3). Although both astrocytes and mixed glia supported E2-enhanced neurite outgrowth, P4 antagonized E2-induced neurite outgrowth only with mixed glia, but not astrocytes alone. We now show that P4-E2 antagonism of neurite outgrowth is mediated by microglial expression of progesterone receptor (Pgr) membrane component 1 (Pgrmc1)/S2R, a putative nonclassical Pgr mediator with multiple functions. The P4-E2 antagonism of neurite outgrowth was restored by add-back of microglia to astrocyte-neuron cocultures. Because microglia do not express the classical Pgr, we examined the role of Pgrmc1, which is expressed in microglia in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown by siRNA-Pgrmc1 in microglia before add-back to astrocyte-neuron cocultures suppressed the P4-E2 antagonism of neurite outgrowth. Conditioned media from microglia restored the P4-E2 activity, but only if microglia were activated by lipopolysaccharide or by wounding. Moreover, the microglial activation was blocked by Pgmrc1-siRNA knockdown. These findings explain why nonwounded cultures without microglial activation lack P4 antagonism of E2-induced neurite outgrowth. We suggest that microglial activation may influence brain responses to exogenous P4, which is a prospective therapy in traumatic brain injury.
2013-01-01 | S-EPMC3689281 | BioStudies
Project description:The morphology of microglial cells is often closely related to their functions. The mechanisms that regulate microglial ramification are not well understood. Here we reveal the biological mechanisms by which astrocytes regulate microglial ramification. Morphological variation in mouse microglial cultures was measured in terms of cell area as well as branch number and length. Effects on microglial ramification were analyzed after microinjecting the toxin L-alpha-aminoadipic acid (L-AAA) in the mouse cortex or hippocampus to ablate astrocytes, and after culturing microglia on their own in an astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) or together with astrocytes in coculture. TGF-? expression was determined by Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA. The TGF-? signaling pathway was blocked by the TGF-? antibody to assess the role of TGF-? on microglial ramification. The results showed that microglia had more and longer branches and smaller cell bodies in brain areas where astrocytes were abundant. In the mouse cortex and hippocampus, ablation of astrocytes by L-AAA decreased number and length of microglial branches and increased the size of cell bodies. Similar results were obtained with isolated microglia in culture. However, isolated microglia were able to maintain their multibranched structure for a long time when cultured on astrocyte monolayers. Ameboid microglia isolated from P0 to P3 mice showed increased ramification when cultured in ACM or on astrocyte monolayers. Microglia cultured on astrocyte monolayers showed more complex branching structures than those cultured in ACM. Blocking astrocyte-derived TGF-? decreased microglial ramification. Astrocytes induced the formation of protuberances on branches of microglia by forming glial fibers that increased traction. These experiments in mice suggest that astrocytes promote microglial ramification by forming glial fibers to create traction and by secreting soluble factors into the surroundings. For example, astrocyte-secreted TGF-? promotes microglia to generate primitive branches, whose ramification is refined by glial fibers.
2020-01-01 | S-EPMC7366495 | BioStudies
Project description:Bulk RNA sequencing of FACS sorted primary murine microglia from WT mixed glial cultures isolated from P2-3 forebrain and cerebellum, stimulated with either IL-34 or CSF-1 Overall design: Microglia isolated murine forebrain or cerebllar mixed glial cultures were treated with either IL-34 or CSF-1 for 24hrs before sequencing. N=3 replicates of microglia from independent mixed glial culutres, per brain region, per ligand treatment
2019-06-27 | GSE133360 | GEO
Project description:BACKGROUND: Microglia and astrocytes respond to homeostatic disturbances with profound changes of gene expression. This response, known as glial activation or neuroinflammation, can be detrimental to the surrounding tissue. The transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ? (C/EBP?) is an important regulator of gene expression in inflammation but little is known about its involvement in glial activation. To explore the functional role of C/EBP? in glial activation we have analyzed pro-inflammatory gene expression and neurotoxicity in murine wild type and C/EBP?-null glial cultures. METHODS: Due to fertility and mortality problems associated with the C/EBP?-null genotype we developed a protocol to prepare mixed glial cultures from cerebral cortex of a single mouse embryo with high yield. Wild-type and C/EBP?-null glial cultures were compared in terms of total cell density by Hoechst-33258 staining; microglial content by CD11b immunocytochemistry; astroglial content by GFAP western blot; gene expression by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot, immunocytochemistry and Griess reaction; and microglial neurotoxicity by estimating MAP2 content in neuronal/microglial cocultures. C/EBP? DNA binding activity was evaluated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: C/EBP? mRNA and protein levels, as well as DNA binding, were increased in glial cultures by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or LPS + interferon ? (IFN?). Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation showed binding of C/EBP? to pro-inflammatory gene promoters in glial activation in a stimulus- and gene-dependent manner. In agreement with these results, LPS and LPS+IFN? induced different transcriptional patterns between pro-inflammatory cytokines and NO synthase-2 genes. Furthermore, the expressions of IL-1? and NO synthase-2, and consequent NO production, were reduced in the absence of C/EBP?. In addition, neurotoxicity elicited by LPS+IFN?-treated microglia co-cultured with neurons was completely abolished by the absence of C/EBP? in microglia. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show involvement of C/EBP? in the regulation of pro-inflammatory gene expression in glial activation, and demonstrate for the first time a key role for C/EBP? in the induction of neurotoxic effects by activated microglia.
2011-01-01 | S-EPMC3223504 | BioStudies
Project description:Engagement of the programmed death (PD)-1 receptor on activated cells by its ligand (PD-L1) is a mechanism for suppression of activated T-lymphocytes. Microglia, the resident inflammatory cells of the brain, are important for pathogen detection and initiation of innate immunity, however, a novel role for these cells as immune regulators has also emerged. PD-L1 on microglia has been shown to negatively regulate T-cell activation in models of multiple sclerosis and acute viral encephalitis. In this study, we investigated the role of glial cell PD-L1 in controlling encephalitogenic CD8(+) T-lymphocytes, which infiltrate the brain to manage viral infection, but remain to produce chronic neuroinflammation. Using a model of chronic neuroinflammation following murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-induced encephalitis, we found that CD8(+) T-cells persisting within the brain expressed PD-1. Conversely, activated microglia expressed PD-L1. In vitro, primary murine microglia, which express low basal levels of PD-L1, upregulated the co-inhibitory ligand on IFN-?-treatment. Blockade of the PD-1: PD-L1 pathway in microglial: CD8(+) T-cell co-cultures increased T-cell IFN-? and interleukin (IL)-2 production. We observed a similar phenomenon following blockade of this co-inhibitory pathway in astrocyte: CD8(+) T-cell co-cultures. Using ex vivo cultures of brain leukocytes, including microglia and CD8(+) T-cells, obtained from mice with MCMV-induced chronic neuroinflammation, we found that neutralization of either PD-1 or PD-L1 increased IFN-? production from virus-specific CD8(+) T-cells stimulated with MCMV IE1168-176 peptide. These data demonstrate that microglia and astrocytes control antiviral T-cell responses and suggest a therapeutic potential of PD1: PD-L1 modulation to manage the deleterious consequences of uncontrolled neuroinflammation.
2014-01-01 | S-EPMC4141010 | BioStudies
Project description:During acute infections and chronic illnesses, the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1? (IL-1?) acts within the brain to elicit metabolic derangements and sickness behaviors. It is unknown which cells in the brain are the proximal targets for IL-1? with respect to the generation of these illness responses. We performed a series of in vitro experiments to (1) investigate which brain cell populations exhibit inflammatory responses to IL-1? and (2) examine the interactions between different IL-1?-responsive cell types in various co-culture combinations.We treated primary cultures of murine brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMEC), astrocytes, and microglia with PBS or IL-1?, and then performed qPCR to measure inflammatory gene expression or immunocytochemistry to evaluate nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-?B) activation. To evaluate whether astrocytes and/or BMEC propagate inflammatory signals to microglia, we exposed microglia to astrocyte-conditioned media and co-cultured endothelial cells and glia in transwells. Treatment groups were compared by Student's t tests or by ANOVA followed by Bonferroni-corrected t tests.IL-1? increased inflammatory gene expression and NF-?B activation in primary murine-mixed glia, enriched astrocyte, and BMEC cultures. Although IL-1? elicited minimal changes in inflammatory gene expression and did not induce the nuclear translocation of NF-?B in isolated microglia, these cells were more robustly activated by IL-1? when co-cultured with astrocytes and/or BMEC. We observed a polarized endothelial response to IL-1?, because the application of IL-1? to the abluminal endothelial surface produced a more complex microglial inflammatory response than that which occurred following luminal IL-1? exposure.Inflammatory signals are detected, amplified, and propagated through the CNS via a sequential and reverberating signaling cascade involving communication between brain endothelial cells and glia. We propose that the brain's innate immune response differs depending upon which side of the blood-brain barrier the inflammatory stimulus arises, thus allowing the brain to respond differently to central vs. peripheral inflammatory insults.
2017-01-01 | S-EPMC5494131 | BioStudies
Project description:Autoreactive Th1 and Th17 cells are believed to mediate the pathology of multiple sclerosis in the central nervous system (CNS). Their interaction with microglia and astrocytes in the CNS is crucial for the regulation of the neuroinflammation. Previously, we have shown that only Th1 but not Th17 effectors activate microglia. However, it is not clear which cells are targets of Th17 effectors in the CNS.To understand the effects driven by Th17 cells in the CNS, we induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in wild-type mice and CD4+ T cell-specific integrin ?4-deficient mice where trafficking of Th1 cells into the CNS was affected. We compared microglial and astrocyte response in the brain and spinal cord of these mice. We further treated astrocytes with supernatants from highly pure Th1 and Th17 cultures and assessed the messenger RNA expression of neurotrophic factors, cytokines and chemokines, using real-time PCR. Data obtained was analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.We observed in ?4-deficient mice weak microglial activation but comparable astrogliosis to that of wild-type mice in the regions of the brain populated with Th17 infiltrates, suggesting that Th17 cells target astrocytes and not microglia. In vitro, in response to supernatants from Th1 and Th17 cultures, astrocytes showed altered expression of neurotrophic factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Furthermore, increased expression of chemokines in Th1- and Th17-treated astrocytes enhanced recruitment of microglia and transendothelial migration of Th17 cells in vitro.Our results demonstrate the delicate interaction between T cell subsets and glial cells and how they communicate to mediate their effects. Effectors of Th1 act on both microglia and astrocytes whereas Th17 effectors preferentially target astrocytes to promote neuroinflammation.
1000-01-01 | S-EPMC5644084 | BioStudies
Project description:BACKGROUND:Interactions between neurons, astrocytes, and microglia critically influence neuroinflammatory responses to insult in the central nervous system. In vitro astrocyte and microglia cultures are powerful tools to study specific molecular pathways involved in neuroinflammation; however, in order to better understand the influence of cellular crosstalk on neuroinflammation, new multicellular culture models are required. METHODS:Primary cortical cells taken from neonatal rats were cultured in a serum-free "tri-culture" medium formulated to support neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, or a "co-culture" medium formulated to support only neurons and astrocytes. Caspase 3/7 activity and morphological changes were used to quantify the response of the two culture types to different neuroinflammatory stimuli mimicking sterile bacterial infection (lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure), mechanical injury (scratch), and seizure activity (glutamate-induced excitotoxicity). The secreted cytokine profile of control and LPS-exposed co- and tri-cultures were also compared. RESULTS:The tri-culture maintained a physiologically relevant representation of neurons, astrocytes, and microglia for 14?days in vitro, while the co-cultures maintained a similar population of neurons and astrocytes, but lacked microglia. The continuous presence of microglia did not negatively impact the overall health of the neurons in the tri-culture, which showed reduced caspase 3/7 activity and similar neurite outgrowth as the co-cultures, along with an increase in the microglia-secreted neurotrophic factor IGF-1 and a significantly reduced concentration of CX3CL1 in the conditioned media. LPS-exposed tri-cultures showed significant astrocyte hypertrophy, increase in caspase 3/7 activity, and the secretion of a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF, IL-1?, IL-1?, and IL-6), none of which were observed in LPS-exposed co-cultures. Following mechanical trauma, the tri-culture showed increased caspase 3/7 activity, as compared to the co-culture, along with increased astrocyte migration towards the source of injury. Finally, the microglia in the tri-culture played a significant neuroprotective role during glutamate-induced excitotoxicity, with significantly reduced neuron loss and astrocyte hypertrophy in the tri-culture. CONCLUSIONS:The tri-culture consisting of neurons, astrocytes, and microglia more faithfully mimics in vivo neuroinflammatory responses than standard mono- and co-cultures. This tri-culture can be a useful tool to study neuroinflammation in vitro with improved accuracy in predicting in vivo neuroinflammatory phenomena.
2020-01-01 | S-EPMC7216677 | BioStudies