Distinct microglial transcriptomic signatures within the hippocampus.
Sana ChintamenPallavi GaurNicole VoElizabeth M BradshawVilas MenonSteven G KerniePublished in: PloS one (2024)
Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, are crucial in the development of the nervous system. Recent evidence demonstrates that microglia modulate adult hippocampal neurogenesis by inhibiting cell proliferation of neural precursors and survival both in vitro and in vivo, thus maintaining a balance between cell division and cell death in the neural stem cell pool. There are increasing reports suggesting these microglia found in neurogenic niches differ from their counterparts in non-neurogenic areas. Here, we present evidence that hippocampal microglia exhibit transcriptomic heterogeneity, with some cells expressing genes associated with neurogenesis. By comprehensively profiling myeloid lineage cells in the hippocampus using single cell RNA-sequencing, we have uncovered a small, yet distinct population of microglia which exhibit depletion in genes associated with homeostatic microglia and enrichment of genes associated with phagocytosis. Intriguingly, this population also expresses a gene signature with substantial overlap with previously characterized phenotypes, including disease associated microglia (DAM), a particularly unique and compelling microglial state.
Keyphrases
- single cell
- inflammatory response
- neuropathic pain
- rna seq
- cerebral ischemia
- spinal cord injury
- cell death
- stem cells
- cell cycle arrest
- induced apoptosis
- cell proliferation
- lipopolysaccharide induced
- high throughput
- lps induced
- spinal cord
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- multiple sclerosis
- acute myeloid leukemia
- white matter
- brain injury
- blood brain barrier
- genome wide
- cell cycle
- gene expression
- free survival
- cognitive impairment
- resting state
- mesenchymal stem cells
- prefrontal cortex