Medicine and Health

In vivo imaging in mouse spinal cord reveals that microglia prevent degeneration of injured axons

W. Wu, Y. He, et al.

This groundbreaking research by Wanjie Wu, Yingzhu He, Yujun Chen, Yiming Fu, Sicong He, Kai Liu, and Jianan Y. Qu uses in vivo imaging to showcase how microglia, the central nervous system's immune soldiers, offer crucial protection to injured axons. Discover how these tiny warriors wrap around myelinated axons at Nodes of Ranvier to prevent degeneration following injury!

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Abstract

This study uses in vivo imaging in mice to demonstrate that microglia, the primary immune cells in the central nervous system, establish direct contact with myelinated axons at Nodes of Ranvier. In response to axonal injury, microglia rapidly wrap the injured axon, preventing acute axonal degeneration. This protective wrapping depends on microglial P2Y12 receptors and involves voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV) and two-pore-domain potassium (K2P) channels. Inhibition of NaV delays axonal degeneration. The findings reveal a neuroprotective role for microglia in acute spinal cord axon injury.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Oct 13, 2024

Authors

Wanjie Wu, Yingzhu He, Yujun Chen, Yiming Fu, Sicong He, Kai Liu, Jianan Y. Qu

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