Developmental plasticity of CNS microglia. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Microglia arise from CD45(+) bone marrow precursors that colonize the fetal brain and play a key role in central nervous system inflammatory conditions. We report that parenchymal microglia are uncommitted myeloid progenitors of immature dendritic cells and macrophages by several criteria, including surface expression of "empty" class II MHC protein and their cysteine protease (cathepsin) profile. Microglia express receptors for stem cell factor and can be skewed toward more dendritic cell or macrophage-like profiles in response to the lineage growth factors granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor or macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Thus, in contrast to other organs, where terminally differentiated populations of resident dendritic cells and/or macrophages outnumber colonizing precursors, the majority of microglia within the brain remain in an undifferentiated state.

publication date

  • May 22, 2001

Research

keywords

  • Microglia
  • Neuronal Plasticity

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC33462

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0035933106

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1073/pnas.111152498

PubMed ID

  • 11371643

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 98

issue

  • 11