Microglial Phenotypes and Functions in Multiple Sclerosis.

Elaine O’Loughlin, Charlotte Madore, Hans Lassmann, Oleg Butovsky
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018-02-01; 8(2): a028993
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a028993

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1. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018 Feb 1;8(2). pii: a028993. doi:
10.1101/cshperspect.a028993.

Microglial Phenotypes and Functions in Multiple Sclerosis.

O’Loughlin E(1), Madore C(1), Lassmann H(2), Butovsky O(1)(3).

Author information:
(1)Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham
and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
(2)Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna,
Austria.
(3)Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital,
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.

Microglia are the resident immune cells that constantly survey the central
nervous system. They can adapt to their environment and respond to injury or
insult by altering their morphology, phenotype, and functions. It has long been
debated whether microglial activation is detrimental or beneficial in multiple
sclerosis (MS). Recently, the two opposing yet connected roles of microglial
activation have been described with the aid of novel microglial markers, RNA
profiling, and in vivo models. In this review, microglial phenotypes and
functions in the context of MS will be discussed with evidence from both human
pathological studies, in vitro and in vivo models. Microglial functional
diversity-phagocytosis, antigen presentation, immunomodulation, support, and
repair-will also be examined in detail. In addition, this review discusses the
emerging evidence for microglia-related targets as biomarkers and therapeutic
targets for MS.

Copyright © 2018 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a028993
PMCID: PMC5793738
PMID: 29419406 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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