Conserved and cell type-specific transcriptional responses to IFN-γ in the ventral midbrain

Dysregulated inflammation within the central nervous system (CNS) contributes to neuropathology in infectious, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative disease. With the exception of microglia, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins are virtually undetectable in the mature, healthy central nervous system (CNS). Neurons have generally been considered incapable of antigen presentation, and although interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) can elicit neuronal MHC class I (MHC-I) expression and antigen presentation in vitro, it has been unclear whether similar responses occur in vivo. Here we directly injected IFN-gamma into the ventral midbrain of mature mice and analyzed gene expression profiles of specific CNS cell types. We found that IFN-gamma upregulated MHC-I and associated mRNAs in ventral midbrain microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and GABAergic, glutamatergic, and dopaminergic neurons. The core set of IFN-gamma-induced genes and their response kinetics were similar in neurons and glia, but with a lower amplitude of expression in neurons. A diverse repertoire of genes was upregulated in glia, particularly microglia, which were the only cells to undergo cellular proliferation and express MHC classII (MHC-II) and associated genes. To determine if neurons respond directly via cell -autonomous IFN-gamma receptor (IFNGR) signaling, we produced mutant mice with a deletion of the IFN-gamma-binding domain of IFNGR1 in dopaminergic neurons, which resulted in a complete loss of dopaminergic neuronal responses to IFN-gamma. Our results demonstrate that IFN-gamma induces neuronal IFNGR signaling and upregulation of MHC-I and related genes in vivo, although the expression level is low compared to oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia.

Automated summary

Dysregulated inflammation in the CNS contributes to neuropathology, and the expression of MHC proteins in the CNS is normally very low. However, IFN-gamma can induce the expression of MHC-I and related genes in microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and various types of neurons in vivo. Neurons respond to IFN-gamma through cell-autonomous IFNGR signaling, although their expression level is lower compared to other CNS cell types.