Journal
NATURE MEDICINE
Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 64-U234Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2266
Keywords
-
Funding
- US National Institutes of Health [R01 NS071039-01A1]
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE [R01NS071039] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
Ask authors/readers for more resources
MicroRNAs are a family of regulatory molecules involved in many physiological processes, including differentiation and activation of cells of the immune system. We found that brain-specific miR-124 is expressed in microglia but not in peripheral monocytes or macrophages. When overexpressed in macrophages, miR-124 directly inhibited the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-alpha (C/EBP-alpha) and its downstream target PU.1, resulting in transformation of these cells from an activated phenotype into a quiescent CD45(low), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class IIlow phenotype resembling resting microglia. During experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), miR-124 was downregulated in activated microglia. Peripheral administration of miR-124 in EAE caused systemic deactivation of macrophages, reduced activation of myelin-specific T cells and marked suppression of disease. Conversely, knockdown of miR-124 in microglia and macrophages resulted in activation of these cells in vitro and in vivo. These findings identify miR-124 both as a key regulator of microglia quiescence in the central nervous system and as a previously unknown modulator of monocyte and macrophage activation.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available