{"title":"Alzheimer's genes in microglia: a risk worth investigating.","authors":"Ari Sudwarts, Gopal Thinakaran","doi":"10.1186/s13024-023-00679-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite expressing many key risk genes, the role of microglia in late-onset Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology is somewhat ambiguous, with various phenotypes reported to be either harmful or protective. Herein, we review some key findings from clinical and animal model investigations, discussing the role of microglial genetics in mediating perturbations from homeostasis. We note that impairment to protective phenotypes may include prolonged or insufficient microglial activation, resulting in dysregulated metabolomic (notably lipid-related) processes, compounded by age-related inflexibility in dynamic responses. Insufficiencies of mouse genetics and aggressive transgenic modelling imply severe limitations in applying current methodologies for aetiological investigations. Despite the shortcomings, widely used amyloidosis and tauopathy models of the disease have proven invaluable in dissecting microglial functional responses to AD pathophysiology. Some recent advances have brought modelling tools closer to human genetics, increasing the validity of both aetiological and translational endeavours.</p>","PeriodicalId":18800,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Neurodegeneration","volume":"18 1","pages":"90"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9000,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10662636/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Molecular Neurodegeneration","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-023-00679-4","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Despite expressing many key risk genes, the role of microglia in late-onset Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology is somewhat ambiguous, with various phenotypes reported to be either harmful or protective. Herein, we review some key findings from clinical and animal model investigations, discussing the role of microglial genetics in mediating perturbations from homeostasis. We note that impairment to protective phenotypes may include prolonged or insufficient microglial activation, resulting in dysregulated metabolomic (notably lipid-related) processes, compounded by age-related inflexibility in dynamic responses. Insufficiencies of mouse genetics and aggressive transgenic modelling imply severe limitations in applying current methodologies for aetiological investigations. Despite the shortcomings, widely used amyloidosis and tauopathy models of the disease have proven invaluable in dissecting microglial functional responses to AD pathophysiology. Some recent advances have brought modelling tools closer to human genetics, increasing the validity of both aetiological and translational endeavours.
期刊介绍:
Molecular Neurodegeneration, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal, comprehensively covers neurodegeneration research at the molecular and cellular levels.
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and prion diseases, fall under its purview. These disorders, often linked to advanced aging and characterized by varying degrees of dementia, pose a significant public health concern with the growing aging population. Recent strides in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these neurodegenerative disorders offer valuable insights into their pathogenesis.