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
Project description:ALSP is a CSF1R-deficiency dementia associated with increased CSF2 expression Monoallelic deletion of Csf2 rescues most behavioral deficits and histopathological changes in Csf1r+/- mice by preventing microgliosis and eliminating most microglial transcriptomic alterations, including those indicative of oxidative stress and demyelination Elevation of Csf2 transcripts and of several CSF-2 downstream targets in the brains of ALSP patients demonstrates that the mechanisms identified in the mouse model are functional in man. Our data provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying ALSP and identify CSF-2 as a therapeutic target.
Project description:Interleukin-34 (IL-34) is an alternative ligand to colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) for the CSF-1 receptor that acts as a key regulator of monocyte/macrophage lineage. In this study, we show that cancer cells-derived IL-34 mediates resistance to immune checkpoint blockade regardless of CSF-1 existence. In a therapeutic study of a programmed death-1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 blocking monoclonal antibody, the expression of IL-34 in tumors was accompanied with limited benefits compared to IL-34 non-expressing tumors in various murine cancer models. Consistent with its immunosuppressive characteristics, the expression of IL-34 in tumors correlates with decreased frequencies of cellular (such as CD8+ and CD4+ T cells) and molecular (including various cytokines and chemokines) effectors at the tumor microenvironment. In addition, IL-34 blockade expands the M1-macrophage population. Then, a neutralizing antibody against IL-34 helped to reverse these effects and improved the therapeutic effects of the immune checkpoint blockade in combinatorial therapeutic models, including a patient-derived xenograft model of primary lung adenocarcinoma. Collectively, we revealed that tumor-derived IL-34 inhibits the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and proposed the utility of IL-34 blockade as a new strategy for cancer therapy.
Project description:Alzheimer’s disease is associated with disrupted circadian rhythms and clock gene expression. REV-ERBα (Nr1d1) is a circadian transcriptional repressor involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism and macrophage function. While global REV-ERBα deletion increases microglial activation and mitigates amyloid plaque formation, the cell-autonomous effects of microglial REV-ERBα deletion in healthy brain and in tauopathy are unexplored. Here, we show that microglial REV-ERBα deficient enhances inflammatory signaling, disrupts lipid metabolism, and causes lipid droplet (LD) accumulation specifically in male microglia. Inflammation and LD accumulation combine to inhibit microglial tau phagocytosis, which can be partially rescued by blockage of lipid droplet formation. Microglial REV-ERBα deletion exacerbates tau aggregation and neuroinflammation in P301S and AAV-P301L tauopathy models in male, but not female mice. These data demonstrate the importance of microglial lipid droplets in tau accumulation and reveal REV-ERBα as a therapeutically accessible, sex-dependent regulator of microglial inflammatory signaling, lipid metabolism, and tauopathy.
Project description:Ultra low input sequencing of FACS sorted primary murine microglia from CSF-1 or IL-34 deficient forebrain and cerebella, at P8 and 9 weeks
Project description:Microglia, the resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS), engage in various CNS-specific functions that are critical for development and health. To better study the properties that distinguish microglia from other tissue macrophage populations, we have optimized serum-free culture conditions to permit robust survival of highly purified adult microglia under defined-medium conditions. We find that astrocyte-derived factors prevent microglial death ex vivo and that this activity results from three primary components (CSF-1/IL-34, TGF-b2, and cholesterol). Using microglial cultures that have never been exposed to serum, we demonstrate a dramatic change in intrinsic phagocytic capacity after serum exposure. Finally, we find that mature microglia rapidly lose signature gene expression profiles after isolation, and that this loss can be reversed by engrafting cells back into an intact CNS environment. These data indicate that the specialized gene expression profile of mature microglia require continuous instructive signaling from the intact CNS. This RNA-seq dataset describes changes in rat microglial transcriptome in culture with or without serum exposure.