Project description:Microglia isolated from glioma patients gain anti-tumor activities upon poly (I:C) stimulation. Expression profiles of human tumor-infiltrating microglia/macrophages before (untreated) and after treatment with poly (I:C) for 48h (induced). Tumor-infiltrating microglia/macrophages were isolated from freshly excised brain tumors
Project description:Microglia and neuroinflammation play an important role in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase D (INPP5D) is a myeloid-expressed gene genetically-associated with AD. Through unbiased analyses of RNA and protein profiles in INPP5D-disrupted iPSC-derived human microglia, we find that reduction in INPP5D activity is associated with molecular profiles consistent with disrupted autophagy and inflammasome activation. These findings are validated through targeted pharmacological experiments which demonstrate that reduced INPP5D activity induces the formation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, cleavage of CASP1, and secretion of IL-1 and IL-18. Further, in-depth analyses of human brain tissue across hundreds of individuals using a multi-analytic approach provides evidence that a reduction in function of INPP5D in microglia results in inflammasome activation in AD. These findings provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying microglia-mediated processes in AD and highlight the inflammasome as a potential therapeutic target for modulating INPP5D-mediated vulnerability to AD.
Project description:Iron accumulation in microglia has been observed in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders and is thought to contribute to disease progression through various mechanisms including neuroinflammation. To study the interaction between iron accumulation and inflammation, we treated human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia (iPSC-MG) with an increasing concentration of iron, in combination with inflammatory stimuli such as interferon gamma and amyloid β, and performed RNA sequencing.