Functional Analysis of Brain-Engrafted Monocytes After Microglia Ablation in Mouse Models

• Authors: Nicholas Varvel, Emory University; Richard M Ransohoff, Third Rock Ventures; Jonas J Neher, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)
• Journal Title: MICROGLIA: METHODS AND PROTOCOLS
• Volume: Volume 2034
• Publisher: HUMANA PRESS INC | 2019-01-01, Pages 293-301
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9658-2_22
• Subjects: Biology, Cell; Health Sciences, Pharmacology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Neurosciences; Neurosciences & Neurology; Microglia; Monocytes; Neuroinflammation; Flow cytometry; Transgenic mice; CELL; ADULT; MACROPHAGES; SIGNATURE

Abstract

During insults and disease blood-borne monocytes can invade brain and spinal cord, contributing to the neuroimmune response together with brain-resident microglia. The specific function of brain-infiltrating monocytes has been difficult to ascertain because of shared marker expression and morphology of these two immune cell types. Here we describe our method of repopulating the brain with circulating monocytes after microglia ablation to investigate the physiology of brain-invading monocytes, which engraft under these conditions.