Open AccessDefinition of a mouse microglial subset that regulates neuronal development and proinflammatory responses in the brain
Author(s) -
Xianli Shen,
Yiguo Qiu,
Andrew Wight,
Hye-Jung Kim,
Harvey Cantor
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2116241119
Subject(s) - proinflammatory cytokine , microglia , neuroscience , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , inflammation
Significance CD11c+ microglia enriched for osteopontin (OPN) expression appear at distinct stages of brain development, aging, and several neurodegenerative disorders. Whether coexpression of CD11c and OPN results from microglial activation or represents a part of a subset-specific genetic program is unknown. We find that this CD11c+ microglial subset is formed before birth upon uptake of apoptotic neurons. Our analysis also suggests that it represents a stable subset that requires OPN to mediate engulfment of synaptic proteins, proliferate, and develop a proinflammatory phenotype. Definition of OPN-producing CD11c+ microglia as a specialized microglial subset provides insight into the contribution of microglial differentiation to brain development and function in health and disease.