Origin and emergence of microglia in the CNS—An interesting (hi)story of an eccentric cell
Date
2023
Authors
Dermitzakis, Iasonas
Manthou, Maria Eleni
Meditskou, Soultana
Tremblay, Marie-Ève
Petratos, Steven
Zoupi, Lida
Boziki, Marina
Kesidou, Evangelina
Simeonidou, Constantina
Theotokis, Paschalis
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
Abstract
Microglia belong to tissue-resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS), representing the primary innate immune cells. This cell type constitutes ~7% of non-neuronal cells in the mammalian brain and has a variety of biological roles integral to homeostasis and pathophysiology from the late embryonic to adult brain. Its unique identity that distinguishes its “glial” features from tissue-resident macrophages resides in the fact that once entering the CNS, it
is perennially exposed to a unique environment following the formation of the blood–brain barrier. Additionally, tissue-resident macrophage progenies derive from various peripheral sites that exhibit hematopoietic potential, and this has resulted in interpretation issues surrounding their origin. Intensive research endeavors have intended to track microglial progenitors during development and disease. The current review provides a corpus of recent evidence in an attempt to disentangle the birthplace of microglia from the progenitor state and underlies the molecular elements that drive microgliogenesis. Furthermore, it caters towards tracking the lineage spatiotemporally during embryonic development and outlining microglial repopulation in the mature CNS. This collection of
data can potentially shed light on the therapeutic potential of microglia for CNS perturbations across various levels of severity.
Description
Keywords
microglia, origin, yolk sac, progeny, molecular cues, development
Citation
Dermitzakis, I., Manthou, M. E., Meditskou, S., Tremblay, M-È., Petratos, S., Zoupi, L., ... Theotokis, P. (2023). Origin and emergence of microglia in the CNS—An interesting (hi)story of an eccentric cell. Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 45, 2609-2628. https://doi.org/10.3390/cimb45030171