Physiological Interactions between Microglia and Neural Stem Cells in the Adult Subependymal Niche

• Published in: Neuroscience 2019-05, Vol.405, p.77-91
• Main Authors: Sirerol-Piquer, Mª Salomé, Belenguer, Germán, Morante-Redolat, José Manuel, Duart-Abadia, Pere, Perez-Villalba, Ana, Fariñas, Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult Stem Cells - cytology; Adult Stem Cells - physiology; Animals; Brain - cytology; Brain - physiology; Cell Communication - physiology; Humans; Microglia - cytology; Microglia - physiology; Neural Stem Cells - cytology; Neural Stem Cells - physiology; Neurogenesis - physiology; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - physiology; Stem Cell Niche - physiology
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.01.009

•Microglia from the yolk sac infiltrate the central nervous system and play a pivotal role in fetal neurogenesis.•Microglia are distinct cellular elements of adult neurogenic niches.•Both microglia and adult neural stem cells are long-lived self-renewing cells.•Continual reciprocal interaction between microglia and neural stem cells may shape adult neurogenesis during lifetime.•The microglia secretome includes a variety of molecules that contribute to the regulation of adult neurogenesis. Microglia are the prototypical innate immune cells of the central nervous system. They constitute a unique type of tissue-resident mononuclear phagocytes which act as glial cells. Elegant experiments in the last few years have revealed the origin, extraordinary molecular diversity, and phenotypic plasticity of these cells and how their potential relates to both immune and non-immune actions in the normal and diseased brain. Microglial cells originate in the yolk sac and colonize the brain during embryogenesis, playing a role in neural development and later in adult brain function. Neurogenesis continues after birth in discrete areas of the mammalian brain sustained by the postnatal persistence of neural stem cells in specific neurogenic niches. Recent data indicate that microglial cells are distinct cellular elements of these neurogenic niches where they regulate different aspects of stem cell biology. Interestingly, microglial and neural stem cells are specified very early in fetal development and persist as self-renewing populations throughout life, suggesting potential life-long interactions between them. We aim at reviewing these interactions in one neurogenic niche, the subependymal zone.