Transcriptome signature of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived microglia is closely related to primary cultured microglia

ABSTRACT: Preparation of primary microglial cultures from postnatal mice is tedious with a low yield, high variability and risk of astrocytic contamination. Microglia derived from embryonic stem cells (ESdM) have been suggested as alternative source, but it is unclear how closely ESdM resemble the molecular phenotype of primary microglia. Here, we performed a whole transcriptome analysis of ESdM in comparison to primary cultured and flow cytometry-sorted microglia and compared the microglial transcriptome to other cell types. Cultured microglia and ESdM were related to sorted microglia, but clearly distinct from other myeloid cell types, T cells, astrocytes and neurons. ESdM and primary cultured microglia showed strong overlap in their transcriptome. Only 144 gene transcripts were differentially expressed between both cell types, mainly derived from immune-related genes with a higher activation status of pro-inflammatory and immune defense genes in primary microglia compared to ESdM. Flow cytometry analysis of cell surface markers CD54, CD74 and CD274 selected from the microarray confirmed the close phenotypic relation between ESdM and primary cultured microglia. Thus, assessment of genome-wide transcriptional regulation demonstrates that microglia are distinct from other macrophage cell types and that mouse pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia are closely related to cultured postnatal microglia. Comparison of different primary neuronal cells with ES-cell derived microglial cells

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Joachim Schultze 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-43808 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress