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:The goal of this study is to elucidate the role of microglial A20 in maintaining brain homeostasis, comparing fully deficient to partially deficient microglia tissue
Project description:microRNA-132 (miR-132), a known neuronal regulator, is one of the most robustly downregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in the brain of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Increasing miR-132 in AD mouse brain ameliorates amyloid and Tau pathologies, and also restores adult hippocampal neurogenesis and memory deficits. However, the functional pleiotropy of miRNAs requires in-depth analysis of the effects of miR-132 supplementation before it can be moved forward for AD therapy. We employ here miR-132 loss- and gain-of-function approaches using single-cell transcriptomics, proteomics and in silico AGO-CLIP datasets to identify molecular pathways targeted by miR-132 in mouse hippocampus. We find that miR-132 modulation significantly affects the transition of microglia from a disease-associated to a homeostatic cell state. We confirm the regulatory role of miR-132 in shifting microglial cell states using human microglial cultures derived from induced pluripotent stem cells.
Project description:Microglial cells are the resident macrophages of the brain. Perivascular macrophages (PVM) are also myeloid resident cells that are located at the interface between blood, CSF and brain in the perivascular space. Due to their strategic location and their ability to sample CSF content, we hypothesized that PVM might play a role in CSF flow. Using different fluorescent tracers injected either into the CSF (influx) or the brain parenchyma (efflux) we assessed their spatio-temporal distribution and found that ablation (using clodronate liposomes) or dysfunction (using genetic tools) of PVM alters CSF dynamics and patterns. Using single cell RNA sequencing, we found that PBMs can be divided in two sub-populations, and that one population of PBMs could interact with vascular smooth muscle cells, which allow arterial pulsations and subsequently CSF flow. Interestingly, aging results in altered PVM phenotype, and reversing this phenotype using macrophage specific grown factors reversed some of aging-associated dysfunctions of CSF flow. In summary, our results identify a new role of PVM in CSF flow and open new avenues for therapeutical applications targeting PVM in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.