Microglia replacement holds great promise for the study and treatment of neurological diseases. We previously achieved high-efficiency replacement by …

Web site created using create-react-app

We identify specific neuropeptides mediating worker division of labor in the leafcutting ant A. cephalotes, finding two neuropeptides associated with characteristic behaviors of leafcutting and of bro...

The niche signals critical for the homeostasis and functions of the brain border-associated macrophages (BAMs) are not well understood. Van Hove et al. demonstrate that BAMs require IL-34 derived from mural cells and perivascular fibroblasts for their maintenance in adulthood. They show that BAMs are required to promote normal vascular function in the brain.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant is the gold standard for treatment of globoid cell leukodystrophy, also called Krabbe disease. Aisenberg et al. define the molecular signature of disease-associated macrophages (globoid cells) and demonstrate that brain-specific high-efficiency macrophage replacement in the twitcher model of Krabbe disease improves neuropathology, macrophage dysfunction, and survival.

Replacing brain macrophages holds substantial therapeutic promise but remains challenging. Bastos et al. uncover the requirements for monocytes to replace microglia and border-associated macrophages. They show that monocyte ontogeny shapes brain macrophage identity, with fetal monocytes acquiring a true microglial state. Using xenotransplantation and Alzheimer’s patient data, they identify human monocyte-derived microglia. These findings are important for microglia replacement therapies.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant is the gold standard for treatment of globoid cell leukodystrophy, also called Krabbe disease. Aisenberg et al. define the molecular signature of disease-associated macrophages (globoid cells) and demonstrate that brain-specific high-efficiency macrophage replacement in the twitcher model of Krabbe disease improves neuropathology, macrophage dysfunction, and survival.

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania announced the first ever direct approach to the depletion and replacemen...

share freely

Nature Cell Biology - Sojka et al. analyse the transcriptomic and epigenomic landscape of human astrocyte maturation and identify an epigenetically regulated intermediate state associated with...