Transcriptome analysis of amoeboid and ramified microglia isolated from the corpus callosum of rat brain
Open Access
- 14 June 2012
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Neuroscience
- Vol. 13 (1), 64
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2202-13-64
Abstract
Background Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), have two distinct phenotypes in the developing brain: amoeboid form, known to be amoeboid microglial cells (AMC) and ramified form, known to be ramified microglial cells (RMC). The AMC are characterized by being proliferative, phagocytic and migratory whereas the RMC are quiescent and exhibit a slow turnover rate. The AMC transform into RMC with advancing age, and this transformation is indicative of the gradual shift in the microglial functions. Both AMC and RMC respond to CNS inflammation, and they become hypertrophic when activated by trauma, infection or neurodegenerative stimuli. The molecular mechanisms and functional significance of morphological transformation of microglia during normal development and in disease conditions is not clear. It is hypothesized that AMC and RMC are functionally regulated by a specific set of genes encoding various signaling molecules and transcription factors. Results To address this, we carried out cDNA microarray analysis using lectin-labeled AMC and RMC isolated from frozen tissue sections of the corpus callosum of 5-day and 4-week old rat brain respectively, by laser capture microdissection. The global gene expression profiles of both microglial phenotypes were compared and the differentially expressed genes in AMC and RMC were clustered based on their functional annotations. This genome wide comparative analysis identified genes that are specific to AMC and RMC. Conclusions The novel and specific molecules identified from the trancriptome explains the quiescent state functioning of microglia in its two distinct morphological states.Keywords
This publication has 112 references indexed in Scilit:
- Microglial Interactions with Synapses Are Modulated by Visual ExperiencePLoS Biology, 2010
- Septin 14 Is Involved in Cortical Neuronal Migration via Interaction with Septin 4Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2010
- Identification of Novel Glial Genes by Single-Cell Transcriptional Profiling of Bergmann Glial Cells from Mouse CerebellumPLOS ONE, 2010
- Getting Started in Gene Expression Microarray AnalysisPLoS Computational Biology, 2009
- Systematic and integrative analysis of large gene lists using DAVID bioinformatics resourcesNature Protocols, 2008
- Role of Caspase 2 in Apoptotic Signaling in Primate and Murine Germ Cells1Biology of Reproduction, 2008
- UVA-Induced Cell Cycle Progression Is Mediated by a Disintegrin and Metalloprotease/Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor/AKT/Cyclin D1 Pathways in KeratinocytesCancer Research, 2008
- Transcriptional diversity during monocyte to macrophage differentiationImmunology Letters, 2008
- "Stemness": Transcriptional Profiling of Embryonic and Adult Stem CellsScience, 2002
- Transitory macrophages in the white matter of the developing visual cortex. II. Development and relations with axonal pathwaysDevelopmental Brain Research, 1983