title: Microglial phagocytosis of live neurons.
abstract: Microglia, the brain's professional phagocytes, can remove dead and dying neurons as well as synapses and the processes of live neurons. However, we and others have recently shown that microglia can also execute neuronal death by phagocytosing stressed-but-viable neurons - a process that we have termed phagoptosis. In this Progress article, we discuss evidence suggesting that phagoptosis may contribute to neuronal loss during brain development, inflammation, ischaemia and neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry, Hopkins Building, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW, UK.
authors.forename: Guy C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jonas J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Neher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D017628:Microglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010587:Phagocytosis / Q000502:physiology*