• Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Flyy News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Travel
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Travel
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
No Result
View All Result
Flyy News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Mapping Tool Reveals Microglia’s Shape-Shifting Secrets

flyynews by flyynews
December 15, 2022
in Science
0
Mapping Tool Reveals Microglia’s Shape-Shifting Secrets
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


Microglia have distinct morphologies depending on where they reside in the mouse brain, according to a novel approach that reveals nuances about the cells’ shape. That form also changes with development and varies by sex, the researchers show in data that could aid in understanding the role of microglia in conditions such as autism.

Microglia are immune cells that support healthy development in the brain. Considered the brain’s gardeners or housekeepers, they continuously survey their environment, ready to activate when their services are needed to prune synapses or clean up cell debris.

Microglial cell function goes awry in people with autism, according to one theory about the condition. Microglia in autistic people’s brains tend to have dysregulated genes, and autism model mice have a disproportionate number of microglia in an activated state. But researchers do not yet have a handle on how microglia morphology is linked to function or how it changes during development, so it has been difficult to assess exactly what’s atypical in autistic people.

One challenge is figuring out how to track the cells’ changes in the first place, says Sandra Siegert, assistant professor of life sciences at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria in Klosterneuburg. Although it’s often possible to distinguish between activated and non-activated microglia—the former tend to be round with short appendages, whereas non-activated cells usually have long, thin arms that branch off in many directions—many cells exist in an intermediate state.

As a result, “we don’t know which feature is the most important feature for characterizing the microglia’s shape,” Siegert says. So she and her colleagues came up with a way to mathematically simplify a microglial cell’s 3D shape while retaining as much information as possible, which they used to analyze more than 40,000 individual cells from seven brain regions in male and female mice at various stages of development.

The approach could “shine a light on which circuits might be involved” in neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, says Lior Brimberg, assistant professor of neuroimmunology at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York, who was not involved in the work.

Siegert says she and her colleagues wanted to assess how microglia change shape in response to exposure to the drug ketamine, which is used to anesthetize lab animals. Repeated ketamine exposure, the team found in a previous study, enables microglia to remove a structure called the perineuronal net from interneurons, increasing the neurons’ synaptic plasticity. But when the team used standard methods to evaluate changes in the microglial cells’ shape that could explain the shift in function, they came up with nothing.

They decided instead to track the cells’ morphology using methods from the mathematical field of topology. They developed an algorithm that tracks the length of a cell’s branches, starting with the ends farthest from the cell body. At each branch point, the software determines the longest and shortest branch. It records the length of the shorter branch and then continues to follow the length of the longer arm. The resulting readout looks like a horizontal barcode, with a stack of staggered lines that represent the length of each branch and its relationship to the others on the cell.

The team then converted each barcode into an image and processed the pool of images so as to capture the most informative dimensions. Microglia from the same brain region have similar morphology, plots of the results from each cell revealed. Cells from the primary somatosensory cortex mapped close to each other, for example, whereas cells from the cochlear nucleus and cerebellum formed their own groups—suggesting the approach captures meaningful regional differences in microglial shape. The findings appeared September in Nature Neuroscience.

     Graph showing shape similarities in microglia

Similar shapes: Microglia from the same brain region (represented by color) cluster together when analyzed using the new method, suggesting that they have similar morphology.

Microglial morphology changes with development in a regionally specific way, according to an analysis of cells from 7-, 15- and 22-day-old mice, as well as from adult animals. Cells from adult female and male mice also formed their own distinct clusters for most brain regions, pointing to sex differences in microglia.

READ ALSO

Experts Fear Bird Flu Outbreak Could Turn Into New Pandemic

Ask Ethan: Do my atoms really “touch” each other? | by Ethan Siegel | Starts With A Bang! | Feb, 2023

When Siegert and her colleagues applied this same approach to microglia repeatedly exposed to ketamine, they found that multiple exposures shifted the cells away from the mature, non-activated profile toward the activated profile seen in the brains of younger mice.

With the previous approach, “it’s not so massively obvious that there is something morphologically going on,” Siegert says. “But now with our strategy, it is possible to track down this kind of morphological change.”

Gaining a clear picture of how and when microglia change morphology in animal models of autism “will be a humongous advantage,” Brimberg says.

Single-cell RNA sequencing can differentiate between activated and non-activated microglia, but it’s not yet clear how the RNA-seq data correspond to subtle differences in the cells’ shapes, Brimberg notes. Moving forward, it would also be helpful to compare the RNA-sequencing data with the morphology data to see how they overlap, she adds.

The researchers plan to continue to investigate how microglia morphology predicts function—from pinpointing what changes after repeated ketamine exposure to tracking the cells’ shape in the brains of mice that model conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Siegert says.

“Morphology has been so important” for categorizing cells and comparing across conditions, she says. “So this is critical” to understand.

This article was originally published on Spectrum, the leading site for autism research news.

spectrum logo



Source_link

Related Posts

Experts Fear Bird Flu Outbreak Could Turn Into New Pandemic
Science

Experts Fear Bird Flu Outbreak Could Turn Into New Pandemic

February 5, 2023
Ask Ethan: Do my atoms really “touch” each other? | by Ethan Siegel | Starts With A Bang! | Feb, 2023
Science

Ask Ethan: Do my atoms really “touch” each other? | by Ethan Siegel | Starts With A Bang! | Feb, 2023

February 5, 2023
‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ release delayed to April 28
Science

‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ release delayed to April 28

February 5, 2023
Human Brain Organoids Transplanted Into Rats Respond to Visual Stimuli
Science

Human Brain Organoids Transplanted Into Rats Respond to Visual Stimuli

February 4, 2023
The Climate Crisis Is Threatening Spain’s Saffron Crop
Science

The Climate Crisis Is Threatening Spain’s Saffron Crop

February 4, 2023
Why Lakes Are Important Resources
Science

Why Lakes Are Important Resources

February 4, 2023
Next Post
Elon Musk Slashed Twitter’s Employees – Time for Washington to Do the Same

Elon Musk Slashed Twitter's Employees - Time for Washington to Do the Same

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

POPULAR NEWS

Angel -Dave Curl – Official Music Video 2022

Angel -Dave Curl – Official Music Video 2022

November 17, 2022
Proud By Cytonic Rhymes – Official Music 2022

Proud By Cytonic Rhymes – Official Music 2022

November 25, 2022
Sweet Bennie Ray – Whole Lot (Official Music Video)

Sweet Bennie Ray – Whole Lot (Official Music Video)

December 22, 2022
SUPER VITAMIN C COLLECTION | STRIVECTIN

SUPER VITAMIN C COLLECTION | STRIVECTIN

December 16, 2022
Rain And Lily Pond Sounds | 10 Hours | Sleep, Relaxation | Dark Screen

Rain And Lily Pond Sounds | 10 Hours | Sleep, Relaxation | Dark Screen

November 14, 2022

About Us

Welcome to Flyy News The goal of Flyy News is to give you the absolute best news sources for any topic! Our topics are carefully curated and constantly updated as we know the web moves fast so we try to as well.

Follow us

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Fashion
  • Food
  • Gaming
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Reviews
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • World

Site Links

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Recent News

  • Experts Fear Bird Flu Outbreak Could Turn Into New Pandemic
  • Chaotic cash shortage forces Nigerians to wait hours for $43
  • How to Treat a Cold or Flu With COVID-19
  • TikTok food trends spike demand and stress on workers and supplies

Copyright © 2022 Flyynews.com | All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Travel
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle

Copyright © 2022 Flyynews.com | All Rights Reserved.

What Are Cookies
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT