Project description:Meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs) promote tissue clearance and immune surveillance in the central nervous system (CNS). Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) regulates MLV development and maintenance and has therapeutic potential for treating neurological disorders. Herein, we investigated the effects of VEGF-C overexpression on brain fluid drainage and ischemic stroke outcomes in mice. Intra-cerebrospinal administration of an adeno-associated virus expressing mouse full-length VEGF-C (AAV-mVEGF-C) increased CSF drainage to the deep cervical lymph nodes (dCLNs) by enhancing lymphatic growth, and upregulated neuroprotective signaling pathways identified by single nuclei RNA sequencing of brain cells. In a mouse model of ischemic stroke, AAV-mVEGF-C pretreatment reduced stroke injury and ameliorated motor performances in the subacute stage, associated with mitigated microglia-mediated inflammation and increased BDNF signaling in brain cells. Neuroprotective effects of VEGF-C were lost upon ligation of the dCLN afferent lymphatics, and not mimicked by acute post-stroke VEGF-C injection. We conclude that VEGF-C prophylaxis promotes multiple vascular, immune, and neural responses that culminate in a protection against neurological damage in acute ischemic stroke.
Project description:Microglia, brain-resident macrophages, have been proposed to play an active role in synaptic refinement and maturation, influencing plasticity and circuit-level connectivity. Using a genetically modified mouse which lacks microglia (Csf1r ∆FIRE/∆FIRE), we investigate the effect on gene expression in particular cell types of the presence or absence of microglia in the developing mouse brain.
Project description:Microglia, brain-resident macrophages, have been proposed to play an active role in synaptic refinement and maturation, influencing plasticity and circuit-level connectivity. Using a genetically modified mouse which lacks microglia (Csf1r ∆FIRE/∆FIRE), we investigate the effect on gene expression of the presence or absence of microglia in the developing mouse brain.
Project description:Microglia isolated from glioma patients gain anti-tumor activities upon poly (I:C) stimulation. Expression profiles of human tumor-infiltrating microglia/macrophages before (untreated) and after treatment with poly (I:C) for 48h (induced). Tumor-infiltrating microglia/macrophages were isolated from freshly excised brain tumors
Project description:Infiltrating monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs) and resident microglia dominate CNS injury sites. We show that MDMs and microglia can directly communicate to modulate each other’s function. Also, the presence of MDMs in CNS injury suppresses microglia-mediated phagocytosis and inflammation. We suggest that macrophages infiltrating the injured CNS provide a mechanism to control acute and chronic microglia-mediated inflammation, which could otherwise drive damage in a variety of CNS conditions. To understand the global effects of macrophage communication to microglia, we transcriptionally profiled activated adult mouse microglia in the presence or absence of macrophages with and without an inflammatory stiumulus (LPS)
Project description:Microglia are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS). Gene profiling identified the transcriptional regulator Sall1 as a microglia signature gene. Given the high expression of Sall1 in microglia, we sought to identify its function in vivo. The Sall1CreER allele has been targeted into the Sall1 locus, therefore Sall1CreER/fl mice (heterozygous for both alleles) allow inducible ablation of Sall1 expression in microglia after tamoxifen treatment. We performed RNA-seq to examine gene expression profiles of microglia sorted from tamoxifen treated adult Sall1CreER/fl mice and Sall1fl/fl control littermates. Microglia were obtained with > 98% purity and the absence of Sall1 was confirmed in Sall1CreER/fl microglia. We could show that deletion of Sall1 in microglia in vivo resulted in the conversion of these cells from resting tissue macrophages into inflammatory phagocytes leading to altered neurogenesis and disturbed tissue homeostasis. Similar changes in gene expression profiles were found in Sall1-deficient microglia isolated from tamoxifen-treated Cx3cr1CreERSall1fl/fl mice. In these mice, deletion of Sall1 is targeted to CX3CR1+ myeloid cells including microglia and CNS-associated macrophages but not to any other CNS-resident cells. This indicated that Sall1 transcriptional regulation maintains microglia identity and physiological properties in the CNS.
Project description:Brain metastasis (BrM) represents a challenging clinical issue. The most common treatment options are surgery and irradiation. Little is known about the complex cellular and molecular microenvironment of BrM, thus lacking molecular targets to combat this dismal disease. It is known that macrophages from the periphery (monocyte-derived macrophages, MDM) and microglia, the brain-resident macrophages, comprise the most abundant stromal cell types in BrM. However, it is not known if both cell types represent a homogeneous cell population with redundant functions or if there are differences due to their ontologic origin. Besides breast cancer and melanoma, the highest incidence of BrM can be found in lung cancer. To gain deeper insight into the myeloid immune landscape and the heterogeneity of BrM-associated immune cells, we here provide single cell RNA Seq data of microglia and MDMs which were associated with a lung cancer (LuCa) BrM, as well as with an irradiated LuCa BrM. Cells were FACS purified into 384 well plates, snap frozen on dry ice and single cell RNA-Seq performed. Together, our data hint towards cell type-specific heterogeneity both, before and upon application of irradiation.