Tambuyzer Bart R, Ponsaerts Peter, Nouwen Etienne J
Laboratory of Neurobiology and Neuropharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Belgium.
J Leukoc Biol. 2009 Mar;85(3):352-70. doi: 10.1189/jlb.0608385. Epub 2008 Nov 21.
Microglia are perhaps the most underestimated cell type of our immune system. Not only were immunologists unaware of their capabilities until recently, but also, some neuroscientists denied their actual existence until the late 20th century. Nowadays, their presence is confirmed extensively, as demonstrated by numerous reports describing their involvement in virtually all neuropathologies. However, despite distinct approaches, their origin remains a point of controversy. Although many agree about their myeloid-monocytic ancestry, the precise progenitor cells and the differentiation mechanisms, which give rise to microglia in the different developmental stages of the CNS, are not unraveled yet. Mostly, this can be attributed to their versatile phenotype. Indeed, microglia show a high morphological plasticity, which is related to their functional state. This review about microglia aims to introduce the reader extensively into their ontogeny, cell biology, and involvement in different neuropathologies.
小胶质细胞可能是我们免疫系统中最被低估的细胞类型。直到最近，免疫学家才意识到它们的能力，而且，一些神经科学家直到20世纪末还否认它们的实际存在。如今，它们的存在已被广泛证实，大量报告表明它们几乎参与了所有神经病理学过程。然而，尽管研究方法各异，它们的起源仍是一个有争议的问题。尽管许多人认同它们源自髓系单核细胞，但在中枢神经系统不同发育阶段产生小胶质细胞的精确祖细胞和分化机制尚未完全阐明。这主要归因于它们多样的表型。事实上，小胶质细胞表现出高度的形态可塑性，这与其功能状态相关。这篇关于小胶质细胞的综述旨在向读者广泛介绍它们的个体发生、细胞生物学以及在不同神经病理学中的作用。
