The NKCC1 ion transporter modulates microglial phenotype and inflammatory response to brain injury in a cell-autonomous manner.
Krisztina TóthNikolett LénártPéter BerkiRebeka FeketeEszter SzabaditsBalázs PósfaiCsaba CserépAhmad AlatshanSzilvia BenkőDaniel KissChristian A HübnerAttila I GulyásKai KailaZsuzsanna KörnyeiAdam DenesPublished in: PLoS biology (2022)
The NKCC1 ion transporter contributes to the pathophysiology of common neurological disorders, but its function in microglia, the main inflammatory cells of the brain, has remained unclear to date. Therefore, we generated a novel transgenic mouse line in which microglial NKCC1 was deleted. We show that microglial NKCC1 shapes both baseline and reactive microglia morphology, process recruitment to the site of injury, and adaptation to changes in cellular volume in a cell-autonomous manner via regulating membrane conductance. In addition, microglial NKCC1 deficiency results in NLRP3 inflammasome priming and increased production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), rendering microglia prone to exaggerated inflammatory responses. In line with this, central (intracortical) administration of the NKCC1 blocker, bumetanide, potentiated intracortical lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine levels. In contrast, systemic bumetanide application decreased inflammation in the brain. Microglial NKCC1 KO animals exposed to experimental stroke showed significantly increased brain injury, inflammation, cerebral edema and worse neurological outcome. Thus, NKCC1 emerges as an important player in controlling microglial ion homeostasis and inflammatory responses through which microglia modulate brain injury. The contribution of microglia to central NKCC1 actions is likely to be relevant for common neurological disorders.
Keyphrases
- brain injury
- inflammatory response
- lps induced
- cerebral ischemia
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- neuropathic pain
- lipopolysaccharide induced
- toll like receptor
- oxidative stress
- nlrp inflammasome
- single cell
- spinal cord
- magnetic resonance
- induced apoptosis
- spinal cord injury
- atrial fibrillation
- resting state
- white matter
- multiple sclerosis
- immune response
- cell death
- bone marrow
- signaling pathway
- contrast enhanced
- functional connectivity
- computed tomography
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- cell proliferation