Michell-Robinson Mackenzie A, Touil Hanane, Healy Luke M, Owen David R, Durafourt Bryce A, Bar-Or Amit, Antel Jack P, Moore Craig S
1 Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
2 Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Brain. 2015 May;138(Pt 5):1138-59. doi: 10.1093/brain/awv066. Epub 2015 Mar 29.
The emerging roles of microglia are currently being investigated in the healthy and diseased brain with a growing interest in their diverse functions. In recent years, it has been demonstrated that microglia are not only immunocentric, but also neurobiological and can impact neural development and the maintenance of neuronal cell function in both healthy and pathological contexts. In the disease context, there is widespread consensus that microglia are dynamic cells with a potential to contribute to both central nervous system damage and repair. Indeed, a number of studies have found that microenvironmental conditions can selectively modify unique microglia phenotypes and functions. One novel mechanism that has garnered interest involves the regulation of microglial function by microRNAs, which has therapeutic implications such as enhancing microglia-mediated suppression of brain injury and promoting repair following inflammatory injury. Furthermore, recently published articles have identified molecular signatures of myeloid cells, suggesting that microglia are a distinct cell population compared to other cells of myeloid lineage that access the central nervous system under pathological conditions. Thus, new opportunities exist to help distinguish microglia in the brain and permit the study of their unique functions in health and disease.
目前，小胶质细胞在健康和患病大脑中的新作用正受到越来越多的关注，人们对其多样的功能兴趣日增。近年来，研究表明小胶质细胞不仅以免疫为中心，还具有神经生物学特性，在健康和病理情况下都能影响神经发育和神经元细胞功能的维持。在疾病背景下，人们普遍认为小胶质细胞是动态细胞，有可能对中枢神经系统的损伤和修复都产生影响。事实上，许多研究发现微环境条件可以选择性地改变独特的小胶质细胞表型和功能。一个引起关注的新机制涉及微小RNA对小胶质细胞功能的调节，这具有治疗意义，比如增强小胶质细胞介导的脑损伤抑制作用以及促进炎症损伤后的修复。此外，最近发表的文章已经确定了髓系细胞的分子特征，这表明与在病理条件下进入中枢神经系统的其他髓系谱系细胞相比，小胶质细胞是一个独特的细胞群体。因此，存在新的机会来帮助区分大脑中的小胶质细胞，并允许研究它们在健康和疾病中的独特功能。
