Developmental regulation of retinal microglia

项目摘要 小胶质细胞是中枢神经系统的常驻神经免疫细胞，在发育过程中起着重要的作用。而脑 小胶质细胞的研究已得到广泛的关注，但对其分子特性和功能的了解还很少 发育中的视网膜该提案的目标是解决视网膜小胶质细胞在视网膜发育过程中的变化。 发展，所涉及的分子途径以及这与其功能的关系。第一个目标将 确定在胚胎和出生后早期是否存在分子上不同的小胶质细胞亚群 视网膜。第二个目标将解决的功能，小胶质细胞在出生后早期视网膜利用知识 他们的基因表达特征，并针对他们进行消耗。最后，在最后一个目标中，我们将测试如何 发育事件控制视网膜小胶质细胞的表型和功能以及相关的分子途径。 通过确定小胶质细胞特性的变化是如何调节和促进视网膜的发育， 我们将深入了解视网膜发育和小胶质细胞功能的基本机制。这可能 最终让我们了解小胶质细胞是如何被调节并参与退行性疾病的 导致视力丧失的过程。

PROJECT SUMMARY Microglia, the resident neuroimmune cells of the CNS, play important developmental roles. While brain microglia have been extensively studied, less is known about the molecular properties and function of microglia in the developing retina. The goal of this proposal is to address how retinal microglia change over the course of development, the molecular pathways involved and how this relates to their function. The first aim will determine whether there are molecularly distinct subpopulations of microglia in embryonic and early postnatal retina. The second aim will address the function of microglia in the early postnatal retina by utilizing knowledge about their gene expression signature and targeting them for depletion. Finally, in the last aim we will test how developmental events govern retinal microglia phenotype and function, and the molecular pathways involved. By determining how changes in microglial properties are regulated and contribute to development of the retina we will gain insight into fundamental mechanisms of retina development and microglial function. This may ultimately inform our understanding of how microglia are modulated and participate in degenerative disease processes resulting in loss of vision.