Cellular and Integrative Physiology - Dorothy P. Schafer, PhD

Title: “Microglial phagocytic mechanisms: Balancing tissue repair and neuroinflammation."

Summary: Microglia are resident macrophages of the central nervous system and are increasingly recognized to play key roles in regulating synaptic connectivity and function. Our early work demonstrated roles for microglia in developmental synaptic pruning, whereby microglia engulf and remove excess synapses in the developing brain via complement-dependent phagocytic signaling. We are now asking how microglial function and immune signaling are impacted after phagocytosing cellular substrates. In the process, we have identified roles for microglia in synapse loss in multiple sclerosis and uncovered a novel mechanism by which phagocytosing ‘self’ nucleic acids drive an inflammatory response in the diseased brain.