Retinal Microglia
Retinal Microglia - Related Videos
04:55
In Vivo Imaging of Retinal Microglia in a Mouse Model of Glaucoma
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2025
Source: Bosco, A., et al. In Vivo Dynamics of Retinal Microglial Activation During Neurodegeneration: Confocal Ophthalmoscopic Imaging and Cell Morphometry in Mouse Glaucoma. J. Vis. Exp. (2015) This video demonstrates in vivo imaging of retinal microglia in a mouse model of glaucoma. A transgenic mouse with fluorescent protein-expressing retinal microglia is positioned under an ophthalmoscope. Infrared illumination is used to locate the optic nerve head (ONH), and the focal plane is...
06:24
Assembling Retinal Organoids with Microglia
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Cited by 3 •
2024
Microglia are unique resident immune cells in the retina, playing crucial roles in various retinal degenerative diseases. Generating a co-culture model of retinal organoids with microglia can facilitate a better understanding of the pathogenesis and development progress of retinal diseases.
07:19
Assessing Retinal Microglial Phagocytic Function In Vivo Using a Flow Cytometry-based Assay
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Cited by 4 •
2016
Microglial phagocytosis is critical for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis and inadequate phagocytic function has been implicated in pathology. However, assessing microglia function in vivo is technically challenging. We have developed a simple but robust technique for precisely monitoring and quantifying the phagocytic potential of microglia in a physiological setting.
04:45
Magnetic Isolation of Microglia from Mouse Pup Brains
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2025
In this video, we describe a protocol for isolating CD11b cells, including microglia, from mouse pup brains using magnetic-activated cell sorting. The brain tissues are homogenized to obtain single-cell suspensions, which are incubated with anti-CD11b antibody-coated microbeads, followed by a magnetic column-based separation to purify the CD11b+ cell population.
11:28
Culturing Microglia from the Neonatal and Adult Central Nervous System
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Cited by 35 •
2013
We outline methods for the efficient and quick isolation/culture of viable microglia from the neonatal cerebral cortex and adult spinal cord. The dissection and plating of cortical microglia can be accomplished within 90 minutes, with the subsequent microglial harvest taking place ~ 10 days following the initial dissection.
FAQs
Extracellular ATP acts as a damage-associated signal that activates P2Y12-dependent responses in retinal microglia. This signaling helps direct the cells toward affected regions and supports coordinated changes in migration, phagocytosis, and inflammatory signaling. Consequently, ATP detection links local tissue damage to an organized immune response within the retina.
Their highly branched processes continuously survey the surrounding retinal environment, allowing microglia to monitor tissue conditions without requiring widespread cell movement. This surveillance supports tissue maintenance and enables rapid detection of abnormal or damaging signals. Changes in this organized distribution or activity can therefore indicate that retinal homeostasis has been disturbed.
Activation can alter several coordinated functions rather than producing a single response. Retinal microglia may migrate toward affected areas, engulf material through phagocytosis, and change inflammatory signaling. These activities can help protect retinal neurons from injury or infection, while their dysregulation may contribute to harmful inflammation and loss of retinal function.
Imaging can examine the distribution and activation state of retinal microglia within tissue. Comparing these features across healthy and diseased retinas may reveal altered localization or activity associated with pathology. Such measurements can provide biomarkers, meaning observable indicators of disease-related change, and help researchers assess retinal responses without relying only on functional outcomes.
Retinal microglial responses are relevant to aging, diabetes, glaucoma, and neurodegenerative disease. In these settings, studying cellular distribution, activation, and signaling can clarify how the retina reacts to ongoing stress or injury. This work connects local immune behavior with broader mechanisms of retinal pathology and may help identify disease-associated biomarkers.
Microglial signaling offers potential therapeutic targets for limiting harmful inflammation and preserving retinal function. Research can focus on the pathways that regulate damage detection, migration, phagocytosis, or inflammatory signaling, including P2Y12-dependent responses. Understanding these mechanisms may support strategies that retain protective immune activity while reducing damaging consequences in diseased retinal tissue.