Project description:The rapid elimination of dying neurons and non-functional synapses in the brain is carried out by microglia, the resident myeloid cells of the brain. Here we show that microglia clearance activity in the adult brain is regionally regulated and depends on the rate of neuronal attrition. Cerebellar, but not striatal or cortical, microglia exhibited high levels of basal clearance activity, which correlated with an elevated degree of cerebellar neuronal attrition. Exposing forebrain microglia to apoptotic cells activated gene expression programs supporting clearance activity. We provide evidence that the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) epigenetically restricts the expression of genes that support clearance activity in striatal and cortical microglia. Loss of PRC2 led to the aberrant activation of a microglia clearance phenotype, which triggers changes in neuronal morphology and behavior. Our data highlight a key role of epigenetic mechanisms in preventing microglia-induced neuronal alterations that are frequently associated with neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases.
Project description:Phagocytosis of synaptic debris by microglia is critical for CNS development and homeostasis. Less well understood are microglial functions in injured adult brain, where their presumed role is clearance of neuronal debris. Assay of this process is challenging, because the resulting peripheral myeloid-cell engraftment is difficult to dissociate from microglial clearance. The model used here, optic nerve crush injury in adult mouse, stimulates rapid engulfment of synaptic material by microglia residing in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), sufficiently distant from the injury to preclude peripheral-cell engraftment. Pre-injury pharmacological depletion of microglia causes post-injury accumulation of synaptic debris, suggesting that these, not astrocytes, are the dominant post-injury phagocytes. Genetic and pharmacological manipulations revealed that neuronal activity, which regulates microglial engulfment of synaptic debris in development, does not do so in post-injury synaptic material clearance in adulthood, where such clearance depends instead on axonal integrity. RNAseq reveals C1q involvement in clearance of debris by LGN-resident microglia, supporting our finding of its impaired clearance in C1qa-/- and Itgam-/- mice. Our results demonstrate how neurodegenerative debris is cleared by microglial phagocytosis, and offer a model for assaying microglial phagocytic activity and studying its mechanisms and physiological roles.
Project description:Impairment of microglial clearance activity contributes to beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology in Alzheimer disease (AD). While the transcriptome profile of microglia directs microglial functions, how the microglial transcriptome can be regulated to alleviate AD pathology is largely unknown. Here, we show that injection of interleukin (IL)-33 in an AD transgenic mouse model ameliorates Aβ pathology by reprogramming microglial epigenetic and transcriptomic profiles to induce a microglial subpopulation with enhanced phagocytic activity. These IL-33–responsive microglia (IL-33RM) express distinct transcriptome signature, highlighted by major histocompatibility complex class II genes, and restored homeostatic signature genes. IL-33–induced remodeling of chromatin accessibility and PU.1 transcription factor binding at the signature genes of IL-33RM control their transcriptome reprogramming. Specifically, disrupting PU.1–DNA interaction abolishes the microglial state transition and Aβ clearance induced by IL-33. Thus, we define a PU.1-dependent transcriptional pathway that drives the IL-33–induced functional state transition of microglia, resulting in enhanced Aβ clearance.
Project description:Neuroinflammation is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), yet numerous studies have demonstrated a beneficial role for neuroinflammation in amyloid plaque clearance. We have previously shown that sustained expression of IL-1β in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice decreases amyloid plaque burden independent of recruited CCR2+ myeloid cells, suggesting resident microglia as the main phagocytic effectors of IL-1β-induced plaque clearance. To date, however, the mechanisms of IL-1β-induced plaque clearance remain poorly understood. To determine whether IL-1β-induced plaque clearance is due to enhanced microglial phagocytosis of Aβ, APP/PS1 mice induced to express mature human IL-1β in the hippocampus via adenoviral transduction were treated with the Aβ fluorescent probe methoxy-X04 (MX04) and microglial internalization of Aβ was analyzed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. We found that resident microglia (CD45loCD11b+) constituted >70% of the MX04+ cells in both control and IL-1β-treated conditions, and that <10% of MX04+ cells were recruited myeloid cells (CD45hiCD11b+). However, we found that IL-1β treatment did not augment the percentage of MX04+ microglia nor the quantity of Aβ internalized by individual microglia. Instead, we found that IL-1β treatment resulted in a significant increase in the total number of MX04+ microglia in the hippocampus due to IL-1β-induced proliferation. Consistent with these results, transcriptomic analyses revealed very similar gene expression profiles between MX04+ and MX04- microglia, indicating IL-1β does not drive enhanced expression of phagocytosis-related genes. By contrast, IL-1β treatment was associated with large-scale changes in the expression of genes related to proliferation, immune function and inflammation. Together, these studies demonstrate that IL-1β induces microglial proliferation and the expression of genes involved in inflammatory immune functions that may be related to Aβ clearance.
Project description:IL-33-PU.1 transcriptome reprogramming drives functional state transition and clearance activity of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease
Project description:Microglia, the brain resident macrophages, play a key role in the regulation of brain function by removing dying neurons, pruning non-functional synapses, and producing ligands that support neuronal survival. We have identified a new function of microglia as critical modulators of neuronal activity and associated behavioral responses in mice. We show that microglia respond to neuronal activation and that ablation of microglia amplifies and synchronizes the activity of neurons, leading to seizures. The suppressive impact of microglia on neuronal activation occurs in a highly localized fashion and depends on the ability of microglia to sense and catabolize extracellular ATP. ATP, which can be released upon neuronal activation by neurons and astrocytes, triggers the recruitment of microglia protrusions and is converted by the microglial ATP-hydrolyzing enzyme CD39 and CD73 into AMP and adenosine, a potent suppressor of neuronal activity. We show that the microglial sensing of ATP, the ensuing production of adenosine, and the adenosine-mediated control of neuronal response via the A1R are essential for the microglia-mediated regulation of neuronal activity and animal behavior. Our findings suggest that this microglia-driven negative feedback mechanism operates in a fashion similar to inhibitory neurons and plays an essential role in protecting the brain from excessive activation in health and diseases.
Project description:Microglia are resident CNS immune cells that are active sensors in healthy brain and versatile effectors under pathological conditions. Cerebral ischemia induces a robust neuroinflammatory response that includes marked changes in the gene expression and phenotypic profile of a variety of endogenous CNS cell types (astrocytes, neurons, microglia) as well as an influx of leukocytic cells (neutrophils, macrophages, T-cells) from the periphery. Many molecules and conditions can trigger a transformation of ârestingâ (or surveying) microglia to an âactivatedâ (alerted/reactive) state. Here we review recent developments in the literature that relate to microglial activation in the experimental setting of in vitro and in vivo ischemia. We also present new data from our own laboratory demonstrating the direct effects of in vitro ischemic conditions on the microglial phenotype and genomic profile. Emphasis is placed on the role of specific molecular signaling systems such as hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) in regulating the microglial response in this setting. We then review histological and recent novel radiological data that confirms a key role for microglial activation in the setting of ischemic stroke in humans. We discuss recent progress in the pharmacological and molecular targeting of microglia in acute ischemic stroke. Finally, we explore how recent studies on ischemic preconditioning have increased interest in preemptively targeting microglial activation in order to reduce stroke severity. 12 arrays, 4 experimental groups, 3 replicates in each group, CN is control normoxia, CH is control hypoxia, TN is TLR4 knockout normoxia, TH is TLR4 knockout hypoxia.