Zhu Jian-Wei, Li Yi-Fei, Wang Zhao-Tao, Jia Wei-Qiang, Xu Ru-Xiang
Affiliated Bayi Brain Hospital, Military General Hospital of Beijing PLA, Southern Medical University Beijing, China.
Front Neurosci. 2016 Feb 16;10:33. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00033. eCollection 2016.
The cerebellum plays an essential role in balance and motor coordination. Purkinje cells (PCs) are the sole output neurons of the cerebellar cortex and are critical for the execution of its functions, including motor coordination. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 is involved in the innate immune response and is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system; however, little is known about its role in cerebellum-related motor functions. To address this question, we evaluated motor behavior in TLR4 deficient mice. We found that TLR4(-∕-) mice showed impaired motor coordination. Morphological analyses revealed that TLR4 deficiency was associated with a reduction in the thickness of the molecular layer of the cerebellum. TLR4 was highly expressed in PCs but not in Bergmann glia or cerebellar granule cells; however, loss of TLR4 decreased the number of PCs. These findings suggest a novel role for TLR4 in cerebellum-related motor coordination through maintenance of the PC population.
小脑在平衡和运动协调中起着至关重要的作用。浦肯野细胞（PCs）是小脑皮质的唯一输出神经元，对其功能的执行至关重要，包括运动协调。Toll样受体（TLR）4参与先天免疫反应，在中枢神经系统中大量表达；然而，其在小脑相关运动功能中的作用却知之甚少。为了解决这个问题，我们评估了TLR4缺陷小鼠的运动行为。我们发现TLR4（-∕-）小鼠表现出运动协调受损。形态学分析显示，TLR4缺陷与小脑分子层厚度的减少有关。TLR4在PCs中高表达，但在伯格曼胶质细胞或小脑颗粒细胞中不表达；然而，TLR4的缺失减少了PCs的数量。这些发现表明TLR4通过维持PC群体在小脑相关运动协调中具有新的作用。
