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Featured ArticleArticles, Neurobiology of Disease

Microglia Regulate the Number of Neural Precursor Cells in the Developing Cerebral Cortex

Christopher L. Cunningham, Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño and Stephen C. Noctor
Journal of Neuroscience 6 March 2013, 33 (10) 4216-4233; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3441-12.2013
Christopher L. Cunningham
1Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Davis,
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Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño
1Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Davis,
2Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, Shriners Hospital for Children of Northern California,
3Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and
5the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California 95817
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Stephen C. Noctor
1Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, Davis,
4Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and
5the MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California 95817
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Abstract

Neurogenesis must be properly regulated to ensure that cell production does not exceed the requirements of the growing cerebral cortex, yet our understanding of mechanisms that restrain neuron production remains incomplete. We investigated the function of microglial cells in the developing cerebral cortex of prenatal and postnatal macaques and rats and show that microglia limit the production of cortical neurons by phagocytosing neural precursor cells. We show that microglia selectively colonize the cortical proliferative zones and phagocytose neural precursor cells as neurogenesis nears completion. We found that deactivating microglia in utero with tetracyclines or eliminating microglia from the fetal cerebral cortex with liposomal clodronate significantly increased the number of neural precursor cells, while activating microglia in utero through maternal immune activation significantly decreased the number of neural precursor cells. These data demonstrate that microglia play a fundamental role in regulating the size of the precursor cell pool in the developing cerebral cortex, expanding our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate cortical development. Furthermore, our data suggest that any factor that alters the number or activation state of microglia in utero can profoundly affect neural development and affect behavioral outcomes.

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The Journal of Neuroscience: 33 (10)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 33, Issue 10
6 Mar 2013
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Microglia Regulate the Number of Neural Precursor Cells in the Developing Cerebral Cortex
Christopher L. Cunningham, Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño, Stephen C. Noctor
Journal of Neuroscience 6 March 2013, 33 (10) 4216-4233; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3441-12.2013

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Microglia Regulate the Number of Neural Precursor Cells in the Developing Cerebral Cortex
Christopher L. Cunningham, Verónica Martínez-Cerdeño, Stephen C. Noctor
Journal of Neuroscience 6 March 2013, 33 (10) 4216-4233; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3441-12.2013
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