title: Persistent phagocytic characteristics of microglia in the substantia nigra of long-term Parkinsonian macaques.
abstract: Patients with Parkinson's disease show persistent microglial activation in the areas of the brain where the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons takes place. The reason for maintaining this activated state is still unknown, but it is thought that this persistent microglial activation may contribute to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we report the microanatomical details of microglia and the relationship between microglia and neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of Parkinsonian monkeys years after insult with MPTP. We observed that microglial cells appear polarized toward dopaminergic neurons in MPTP-treated macaques compared to untreated animals and present clear phagocytic characteristics, such as engulfing gliaptic contacts, an increase in Golgi apparatus protein machinery and ball-and-chain phagocytic buds. These results demonstrate that activated microglia maintain phagocytic characteristics years after neurotoxin insult, and phagocytosis may be a key contributor to the neurodegenerative process.
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, Spain. barcia@um.es
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barcia
authors.forename: Carmen María
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ros
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ros-Bernal
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Annese
authors.forename: María Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carrillo-de Sauvage
authors.forename: José Enrique
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Yuste
authors.forename: Carmen María
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Campuzano
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Pablos
authors.forename: Emiliano
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández-Villalba
authors.forename: María Trinidad
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Herrero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine; 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole; Cell polarity; DAPI; Dopaminergic degeneration; GM130; Iba-1; Inflammation; MPTP; Microglial motility; PD; Parkinson's disease; SNpc; TH; cis-Golgi matrix protein 130; ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1; substantia nigra pars compacta; tyrosine hydroxylase