Current Research Methods to Study Microglial Cells in Physiology and Disease

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Anne Roumier

Sorbonne University, UMR-S 1270 INSERM, Institut du Fer à Moulin

Dr. Roumier received a PhD in cellular immunology at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. Afterwards, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in neurobiology at the Institute of Biology of the Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS) in Paris where she participated in the first studies which unraveled the potential role of microglial dysfunctions and microglial gene mutations in the ontogeny of developmental brain disorders. At the end of 2008, she was recruited as an assistant professor to Sorbonne University in Paris and joined the “Institut du Fer à Moulin” (IFM), a research institute dedicated to neuroscience. There, she developed an original research line centered on the control of microglia by serotonin. Since 2019, she has led the team, “Serotonin, Microglia and Plasticity”, with Dr. Maroteaux at the IFM. Her research projects focus on the acute and long-term effects of serotonin on microglia, including morphological changes and regulation of microglia development and on understanding how disruption of this regulation impacts on neuronal wiring, synaptic plasticity, and behavior. To this aim, techniques ranging from molecular and cellular biology, pharmacology, to 2-photon imaging and behavior are used. This research can shed light on the role of microglia as effectors of the neuromodulator, serotonin, notably in the context of psychiatric disorders which very often involve perturbations of the serotonergic system.

Giulia Albertini

Sorbonne University, UMR-S 1270 INSERM, Institut du Fer à Moulin

Dr. Albertini received her PhD from the Center for Neurosciences of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Free University of Brussels (VUB) in 2018. Her doctoral project focused on glial cells’ involvement in physiological and pathological behavior. In 2018, Dr. Albertini joined the “Serotonin, microglia and plasticity” team of the Sorbonne University (Institut du Fer à Moulin, U1270 INSERM, Paris) as a postdoctoral fellow. Her current research interests include microglial control of postnatal development and physiological functions of microglia in the healthy adult brain, such as their role in maintaining homeostasis and supporting cognitive processes, learning, and memory.

Collection Overview

In the last two decades, tremendous advances have been made in understanding the biology of microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Nowadays, it is well established that microglia are not only involved in injury and disease, but also in a variety of physiological processes that sculpt postnatal development and maintain CNS homeostasis. This progress has been possible thanks to methodological advancements that have allowed the study of microglial heterogeneity, dynamics, adaptation, and plasticity, in addition to their well-established immune properties.

This collection seeks articles focused on current in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo methods to study microglial cells in physiology and disease. Such methods include, but are not limited to, cell culturing of human and murine microglial cells lines; preparation of primary dissociated microglial cultures; isolation of microglia using fluorescent- or magnetic-activated cell sorting (FACS and MACS, respectively); targeting microglia with lentivirus and adeno-associated viruses (AAVs); analysis and quantification of microglial markers and signaling pathways; quantification of microglial phagocytosis, proliferation and apoptosis; transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of microglia; imaging techniques (light, fluorescence, confocal, time-lapse, and electron microscopy); protocols to study electrophysiological properties of microglia; and strategies to deplete microglia. We also highly encourage methods aimed to study interactions between microglia and other cell types, such as neurons and astrocytes. The purpose of this collection is to improve the reproducibility and consistency of methods used to study microglia and to better understand their identity and functions in physiology and disease.