European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
Glia. 2013 Jan;61(1):3-9. doi: 10.1002/glia.22385. Epub 2012 Sep 17.
Microglia, the resident phagocytes of brain, have been intensively studied since their discovery in the 1920s. There is no doubt that the possibility of culturing microglia in vitro has advanced enormously our understanding of these cells. However, as we know today, that microglia react to even small changes in the brain, it is crucial to also study these cells by preserving as much as possible their natural environment. Nowadays, advances in imaging technologies and transgenic cell labeling methods allow the direct observation of cells at work. These in vivo approaches have already changed our view on microglia by showing that these cells are active even in the healthy adult brain. As today, there is upcoming evidence that microglia can directly influence neuronal activity, understanding their roles and, in particular, their interactions with neurons is of great importance. The aim of this review is to illustrate three animal models that are currently used for microglial research and to discuss their characteristics and advantages by presenting recent achievements in microglial research. In our view the availability of different systems for studying microglia will lead to a more comprehensive understanding of their functions.
小胶质细胞是大脑中的固有吞噬细胞，自 20 世纪 20 年代发现以来，它们一直是研究的热点。毫无疑问，体外培养小胶质细胞的可能性极大地促进了我们对这些细胞的理解。然而，正如我们今天所知道的，小胶质细胞对大脑中的微小变化会产生反应，因此，通过尽可能保留其自然环境来研究这些细胞至关重要。如今，成像技术和转基因细胞标记方法的进步允许直接观察工作中的细胞。这些活体方法已经通过显示这些细胞在健康的成年大脑中也是活跃的，改变了我们对小胶质细胞的看法。目前有越来越多的证据表明，小胶质细胞可以直接影响神经元活动，因此了解它们的作用，特别是它们与神经元的相互作用非常重要。本篇综述的目的是介绍目前用于小胶质细胞研究的三种动物模型，并通过介绍小胶质细胞研究的最新成果，讨论它们的特点和优势。我们认为，研究小胶质细胞的不同系统的可用性将导致对其功能的更全面理解。
