Correlative transmission and scanning electron microscopy study of microglia activated by interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in vitro

Microglia, in response to cytokines, demonstrate a number of enhanced biochemical and functional properties which reflect a state of activation. In this study, we evaluated the ultrastructural alterations of murine microglia that were associated with activation by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plus t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pathology, research and practice research and practice, 1995-10, Vol.191 (10), p.1016-1022
Main Authors: Anderson, W R, Martella, A, Drake, Z M, Hu, S, Peterson, P K, Chao, C C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cells, Cultured
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Free Radicals
Golgi Apparatus - ultrastructure
In Vitro Techniques
Interferon-gamma - pharmacology
Mice
Microglia - drug effects
Microglia - metabolism
Microglia - ultrastructure
Microscopy, Electron
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
Mitochondria - ultrastructure
Nitric Oxide - biosynthesis
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - pharmacology
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Summary:Microglia, in response to cytokines, demonstrate a number of enhanced biochemical and functional properties which reflect a state of activation. In this study, we evaluated the ultrastructural alterations of murine microglia that were associated with activation by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plus tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Microglial cell culture treated with these cytokines generated significant amounts of the free radical nitric oxide (NO), a biochemical marker of activation. Correlative transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopic analyses of these cytokine-activated microglia demonstrated two prominent features: proliferation of cell processes and increased formation of membrane bound dense bodies typical of lysosomes. Since activated microglia have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, application of the ultrastructural findings in the in vitro study may prove useful in determining the state of activation of microglia in brain specimens from patients with these neurological disorders.
ISSN:0344-0338