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Using in vivo experimentation and an in vitro microfluidic system, Wolf et al. demonstrate that monocytes require low levels of self-made TNF for their survival, both during monopoiesis and under specific immune challenges. They highlight the significance of this autonomous mechanism in a mouse multiple sclerosis model in which TNF-deficient monocytes survive less in the inflamed spinal cord, resulting in delayed disease onset., Monocytes are circulating mononuclear phagocytes, poised to extravasate to sites of inflammation and differentiate into monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its receptors are up-regulated during monopoiesis and expressed by circulating monocytes, as well as effector monocytes infiltrating certain sites of inflammation, such as the spinal cord, during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In this study, using competitive in vitro and in vivo assays, we show that monocytes deficient for TNF or TNF receptors are outcompeted by their wild-type counterpart. Moreover, monocyte-autonomous TNF is critical for the function of these cells, as TNF ablation in monocytes/macrophages, but not in microglia, delayed the onset of EAE in challenged animals and was associated with reduced acute spinal cord infiltration of Ly6Chi effector monocytes. Collectively, our data reveal a previously unappreciated critical cell-autonomous role of TNF on monocytes for their survival, maintenance, and function.

Recent data suggest that ramified microglia fulfil various tasks in the brain. However, to investigate this unique cell type cultured primary microglia are only a poor model. We here describe a method to deplete and repopulate organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSC) with ramified microglia isolated from adult mouse brain creating microglia-replenished OHSC (Mrep-OHSC). Replenished microglia integrate into the tissue and ramify to a degree indistinguishable from their counterparts in the mouse brain. Moreover, wild-type slices replenished with microglia from TNFα-deficient animals provide similar results as OHSC prepared from microglia-specific TNFα-knockout mice (CX3CR1(cre) /TNFα(fl/fl) ). Furthermore, this study demonstrates that replenished microglia in OHSC maintain original functions and properties acquired in vivo. Microglia from ERCC1(Δ/ko) mice, a mouse model of accelerated aging, maintain enhanced Mac2 expression and their activated phenotype after replenishment to wild-type OHSC tissue. Thus, the present study demonstrates that Mrep-OHSC are a unique tool to construct chimeric brain slices allowing studying the function of different phenotypes of in vivo like microglia in a tissue culture setting. GLIA 2016 GLIA 2016;64:1285-1297.

Microglia are resident immune cells in the CNS, strategically positioned to clear dead cells and debris, and orchestrate CNS inflammation and immune defense. In steady state, these macrophages lack MHC class II (MHCII) expression, but microglia activation can be associated with MHCII induction. Whether microglial MHCII serves antigen presentation for critical local T-cell restimulation in CNS auto-immune disorders or modulates microglial signaling output remains under debate. To probe for such scenarios, we generated mice harboring an MHCII deficiency in microglia, but not peripheral myeloid cells. Using the CX3 CR1CreER -based approach we report that microglial antigen presentation is obsolete for the establishment of EAE, with disease onset, progression, and severity unaltered in mutant mice. Antigen presentation-independent roles of microglial MHCII were explored using a demyelination model induced by the copper chelator cuprizone. Absence of microglial I-Ab did not affect the extent of these chemically induced white matter alterations, nor did it affect microglial proliferation or gene expression associated with locally restricted de- and remyelination.

SummaryDuring early embryogenesis, microglia arise from yolk sac progenitors that populate the developing central nervous system (CNS), but how the tissue-resident macrophages are maintained throughout the organism’s lifespan still remains unclear. Here, we describe a system that allows specific, conditional ablation of microglia in adult mice. We found that the microglial compartment was reconstituted within 1 week of depletion. Microglia repopulation relied on CNS-resident cells, independent from bone-marrow-derived precursors. During repopulation, microglia formed clusters of highly proliferative cells that migrated apart once steady state was achieved. Proliferating microglia expressed high amounts of the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R), and treatment with an IL-1R antagonist during the repopulation phase impaired microglia proliferation. Hence, microglia have the potential for efficient self-renewal without the contribution of peripheral myeloid cells, and IL-1R signaling participates in this restorative proliferation process.

SummaryMutations in MECP2, encoding the epigenetic regulator methyl-CpG-binding protein 2, are the predominant cause of Rett syndrome, a disease characterized by both neurological symptoms and systemic abnormalities. Microglial dysfunction is thought to contribute to disease pathogenesis, and here we found microglia become activated and subsequently lost with disease progression in Mecp2-null mice. Mecp2 was found to be expressed in peripheral macrophage and monocyte populations, several of which also became depleted in Mecp2-null mice. RNA-seq revealed increased expression of glucocorticoid- and hypoxia-induced transcripts in Mecp2-deficient microglia and peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore, Mecp2 was found to regulate inflammatory gene transcription in response to TNF stimulation. Postnatal re-expression of Mecp2 using Cx3cr1creER increased the lifespan of otherwise Mecp2-null mice. These data suggest that Mecp2 regulates microglia and macrophage responsiveness to environmental stimuli to promote homeostasis. Dysfunction of tissue-resident macrophages might contribute to the systemic pathologies observed in Rett syndrome.

Microglia, the resident CNS macrophages, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Rett Syndrome (RTT), an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder. However, the mechanism by which microglia contribute to the disorder is unclear and recent data suggest that microglia do not play a causative role. Here, we use the retinogeniculate system to determine if and how microglia contribute to pathogenesis in a RTT mouse model, the Mecp2 null mouse (Mecp2tm1.1Bird/y). We demonstrate that microglia contribute to pathogenesis by excessively engulfing, thereby eliminating, presynaptic inputs at end stages of disease (≥P56 Mecp2 null mice) concomitant with synapse loss. Furthermore, loss or gain of Mecp2 expression specifically in microglia (Cx3cr1CreER;Mecp2fl/yor Cx3cr1CreER; Mecp2LSL/y) had little effect on excessive engulfment, synapse loss, or phenotypic abnormalities. Taken together, our data suggest that microglia contribute to end stages of disease by dismantling neural circuits rendered vulnerable by loss of Mecp2 in other CNS cell types. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15224.001, eLife digest Rett Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder with symptoms that typically begin in girls between 6 and 18 months old. Those affected developmentally stagnate and regress – during which they lose some of their previously acquired skills and develop an array of physical impairments. Mutations in a gene called Mecp2 on the X chromosome cause most cases of Rett Syndrome. Mice that lack the Mecp2 gene develop symptoms similar to those seen in people with Rett Syndrome, and so such “Mecp2 null” mice are often used to study the disorder. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, have been implicated in the development of Rett Syndrome. Introducing microglia that carry the Mecp2 gene into Mecp2 null mice has been shown to reduce several disease-associated abnormalities. However, exactly how microglia contribute to these changes remains unknown. In addition, a more recent report failed to reproduce these findings, and instead obtained results suggesting that microglia do not affect the development of Rett syndrome. Schafer et al. now use the mouse visual system as a model to determine if and how microglia contribute to the development of Rett Syndrome. Like many other brain regions, the developing visual system initially has a surplus of connections between neurons, or synapses, which are subsequently pruned back. Schafer et al. previously showed in the developing visual system of early postnatal (5 days after birth) control mice (who express the Mecp2 gene) that microglia contribute to this pruning by engulfing and eliminating a subset of these excessive synaptic connections. The new experiments by Schafer et al. show that another wave of microglia-mediated synaptic pruning occurs in 40-day-old juvenile control mice. Because Mecp2 null mice begin to display features of Rett Syndrome when they’re about 40 days old, Schafer et al. tested whether the microglia of these animals inappropriately prune synaptic connections. While this process occurred normally in neonatal and juvenile Mecp2 null mice, microglia began to excessively engulf cells in Mecp2 null mice when they were around 56 days old. Unexpectedly, deleting or reintroducing the Mecp2 gene solely in the microglia of these mice had little effect on pruning activity of the microglia, and failed to affect Rett-syndrome-like symptoms in the mice. Taken together, the data presented by Schafer et al. suggest how microglia contribute to the final stages of Rett Syndrome: by dismantling circuits of neurons that are rendered vulnerable by the loss of the Mecp2 gene in other cell types. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15224.002

Recent data suggest that ramified microglia fulfil various tasks in the brain. However, to investigate this unique cell type cultured primary microglia are only a poor model. We here describe a method to deplete and repopulate organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSC) with ramified microglia isolated from adult mouse brain creating microglia-replenished OHSC (Mrep-OHSC). Replenished microglia integrate into the tissue and ramify to a degree indistinguishable from their counterparts in the mouse brain. Moreover, wild-type slices replenished with microglia from TNFα-deficient animals provide similar results as OHSC prepared from microglia-specific TNFα-knockout mice (CX3CR1(cre) /TNFα(fl/fl) ). Furthermore, this study demonstrates that replenished microglia in OHSC maintain original functions and properties acquired in vivo. Microglia from ERCC1(Δ/ko) mice, a mouse model of accelerated aging, maintain enhanced Mac2 expression and their activated phenotype after replenishment to wild-type OHSC tissue. Thus, the present study demonstrates that Mrep-OHSC are a unique tool to construct chimeric brain slices allowing studying the function of different phenotypes of in vivo like microglia in a tissue culture setting. GLIA 2016 GLIA 2016;64:1285-1297.

Summary Tissue macrophages arise during embryogenesis from yolk-sac (YS) progenitors that give rise to primitive YS macrophages. Until recently, it has been impossible to isolate or derive sufficient numbers of YS-derived macrophages for further study, but data now suggest that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be driven to undergo a process reminiscent of YS-hematopoiesis in vitro. We asked whether iPSC-derived primitive macrophages (iMacs) can terminally differentiate into specialized macrophages with the help of growth factors and organ-specific cues. Co-culturing human or murine iMacs with iPSC-derived neurons promoted differentiation into microglia-like cells in vitro. Furthermore, murine iMacs differentiated in vivo into microglia after injection into the brain and into functional alveolar macrophages after engraftment in the lung. Finally, iPSCs from a patient with familial Mediterranean fever differentiated into iMacs with pro-inflammatory characteristics, mimicking the disease phenotype. Altogether, iMacs constitute a source of tissue-resident macrophage precursors that can be used for biological, pathophysiological, and therapeutic studies.

Microglia are highly specialized tissue macrophages of the brain with dedicated functions in neuronal development, homeostasis and recovery from pathology Despite their unique localization in the central nervous system (CNS), microglia are ontogenetically and functionally related to their peripheral counterparts of the mononuclear phagocytic system in the body, namely tissue macrophages and circulating myeloid cells. Recent developments provided new insights into the myeloid system in the body with microglia emerging as intriguing unique archetypes. Similar to other tissue macrophages, microglia develop early during embryogenesis from immature yolk sac progenitors. But in contrast to most of their tissue relatives microglia persist throughout the entire life of the organism without any significant input from circulating blood cells due to their longevity and their capacity of self-renewal. Notably, microglia share some features with short-lived blood monocytes to limit CNS tissue damage in pathologies, but only bone marrow-derived cells display the ability to become permanently integrated in the parenchyma. This emphasizes the therapeutic potential of bone marrow-derived microglia-like cells. Further understanding of both fate and function of microglia during CNS pathologies and considering their uniqueness among other tissue macrophages will be pivotal for potential manipulation of immune cell function in the CNS, thereby reducing disease burden. Here, we discuss new aspects of myeloid cell biology in general with special emphasis on the brain-resident macrophages and microglia.

Microglia are brain macrophages and, as such, key immune-competent cells that can respond to environmental changes. Understanding the mechanisms of microglia-specific responses during pathologies is hence vital for reducing disease burden. The definition of microglial functions has so far been hampered by the lack of genetic in vivo approaches that allow discrimination of microglia from closely related peripheral macrophage populations in the body. Here we introduce a mouse experimental system that specifically targets microglia to examine the role of a mitogen-associated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), during autoimmune inflammation. Conditional depletion of TAK1 in microglia only, not in neuroectodermal cells, suppressed disease, significantly reduced CNS inflammation and diminished axonal and myelin damage by cell-autonomous inhibition of the NF-κB, JNK and ERK1/2 pathways. Thus, we found TAK1 to be pivotal in CNS autoimmunity, and we present a tool for future investigations of microglial function in the CNS.

Microglial cells in brain and spinal cord are characterized by high expression of the chemokine receptor CX3CR1. Expression of the sole CX3CR1 ligand, the membrane-tethered and sheddable chemokine CX3CL1/fractalkine, is restricted in the brain parenchyma to selected neurons. Here we summarize our current understanding of the physiological role of CX3CR1 for microglia function and the CX3C axis in microglial/neuronal crosstalk in homeostasis and under challenge. Moreover, we will discuss the efforts of our laboratory and others to exploit CX3CR1 promoter activity for the visualization and genetic manipulation of microglia to probe their functional contributions in the central nerve system (CNS) context.