title: Gene expression profile of activated microglia under conditions associated with dopamine neuronal damage.
abstract: Microglia are the resident antigen-presenting cells within the central nervous system (CNS), and they serve immune-like functions in protecting the brain against injury and invading pathogens. By contrast, activated microglia can secrete numerous reactants that damage neurons. The pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative diseases has been associated with microglial activation, but the signaling pathways that program a neuronally protective or destructive phenotype in microglia are not known. To increase the understanding of microglial activation, microarray analysis was used to profile the transcriptome of BV-2 microglial cells after activation. Microglia were activated by lipopolysaccharide, the HIV neurotoxic protein TAT, and dopamine quinone, each of which has been linked to dopamine neuronal damage. We identified 210 of 9882 genes whose expression was differentially regulated by all activators (116 increased and 94 decreased in expression). Gene ontology analysis assigned up-regulated genes to a number of specific biological processes and molecular functions, including immune response, inflammation, and cytokine/chemokine activity. Genes down-regulated in expression contribute to conditions that are permissive of microglial migration, lowered adhesion to matrix, lessened phagocytosis, and reduction in receptors that oppose chemotaxis and inflammation. These results elaborate a broad profile of microglial genes whose expression is altered by conditions associated with both neurodegenerative diseases and microglial activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Dina M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Francescutti-Verbeem
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Kuhn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000633:toxicity; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015696:Gene Products, tat; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C482199:lipopolysaccharide, E coli O55-B5; C104705:dopamine quinone; D004298:Dopamine