title: Activated microglia do not form functional gap junctions in vivo.
abstract: We investigated whether microglia form gap junctions with themselves, or with astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, or neurons in vivo in normal mouse brains, and in pathological conditions that induce microglial activation - brain injury and a model of Alzheimer's disease. Although microglia are in close physical proximity to glia and neurons, they do not form functional gap junctions under these pathological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, United States. Electronic address: swasseff@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Sameh K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Wasseff
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, United States. Electronic address: sscherer@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Steven S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Scherer
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D057507:Mice, 129 Strain; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D017628:Microglia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Astrocytes; Brain injury; Gap junctions; Microglia; Oligodendrocytes