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Microglia at the Synapse and Beyond: Implications for Neurological Disease

EVENT: 
Weekly Seminar | Not Open to the Public
Who Should Attend: 
Researchers

Abstract

Microglia are resident macrophages of the central nervous system. Beyond their role in inflammatory processes, they are becoming increasingly appreciated as dynamic sensors of their extracellular environment and regulators of synaptic connectivity. This includes our work demonstrating a role for microglia in developmental synaptic pruning, whereby microglia engulf and remove excess synapses in the developing brain via complement-dependent phagocytic signaling. Recently, we identified a new role for microglia in synapse loss during multiple sclerosis (MS) via the alternative complement cascade. We are now using cell-specific molecular genetic approaches and spatial transcriptomics to map the cellular sources of complement in MS. We are further using these approaches to map and transcriptionally profile another population of microglia that are highly associated with the vasculature, termed juxtavascular microglia, in the inflamed brain.

Dr. Dorothy Schafer's Image

Publications

Erica Mondo, Shannon C Becker, Amanda G Kautzman, Martina Schifferer, Christina E Baer, Jiapei Chen, Eric J Huang, Mikael Simons, Dorothy P Schafer
A Developmental Analysis of Juxtavascular Microglia Dynamics and Interactions with the Vasculature
J Neurosci. 2020 Aug 19;40(34):6503-6521. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3006-19.2020. Epub 2020 Jul 13.
Sebastian Werneburg, Jonathan Jung, Rejani B Kunjamma, Seung-Kwon Ha, Nicholas J Luciano, Cory M Willis, Guangping Gao, Natalia P Biscola, Leif A Havton, Stephen J Crocker, Brian Popko, Daniel S Reich, Dorothy P Schafer
Targeted Complement Inhibition at Synapses Prevents Microglial Synaptic Engulfment and Synapse Loss in Demyelinating Disease
Immunity. 2020 Jan 14;52(1):167-182.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.12.004. Epub 2019 Dec 26.
Dorothy P Schafer, Emily K Lehrman, Amanda G Kautzman, Ryuta Koyama, Alan R Mardinly, Ryo Yamasaki, Richard M Ransohoff, Michael E Greenberg, Ben A Barres, Beth Stevens
Microglia sculpt postnatal neural circuits in an activity and complement-dependent manner
Neuron. 2012 May 24;74(4):691-705. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.03.026.

When

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 - 12:30pm

Where

Conference Room: 
Online Webinar

More Information

Darlene White

Conditions & Recovery

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