Microglia phagocytic mechanisms: Development informing disease

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2024 Apr 16;86:102877. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102877. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMicroglia are tissue-resident macrophages and professional phagocytes of the central nervous system (CNS). In development, microglia-mediated phagocytosis is important for sculpting the cellular architecture. This includes the engulfment of dead/dying cells, pruning extranumerary synapses and axons, and phagocytosing fragments of myelin sheaths. Intriguingly, these developmental phagocytic mechanisms by which microglia sculpt the CNS are now appreciated as important for eliminating synapses, myelin, and proteins during neurodegeneration. Here, we discuss parallels between neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration, which highlights how development is informing disease. We further discuss recent advances and challenges towards therapeutically targeting these phagocytic pathways and how we can leverage development to overcome these challenges.PMID:38631077 | DOI:10.1016/j.conb.2024.102877

Source: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - April 17, 2024 Category: Neurology Authors: Rebecca M Beiter Patrick W Sheehan Dorothy P Schafer Source Type: research