Isolation and culture of adult human microglia within mixed glial cultures for functional experimentation and high-content analysis

Brain microglia serve as a persistent HIV reservoir despite durable antiretroviral therapy

Brain microglia (MG) may serve as a human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV) reservoir and ignite rebound viremia following cessation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but they have yet to be proven to harbor replication-competent HIV. Here, we isolated brain myeloid cells (BrMCs) from nonhuman primates and rapid autopsy of people with HIV (PWH) on ART and sought evidence of persistent viral infection. BrMCs predominantly displayed microglial markers, in which up to 99.9% of the BrMCs were TMEM119+ MG. Total and integrated SIV or HIV DNA was detectable in the MG, with low levels of cell-associated viral RNA. Provirus in MG was highly sensitive to epigenetic inhibition. Outgrowth virus from parietal cortex MG in an individual with HIV productively infected both MG and PBMCs. This inducible, replication-competent virus and virus from basal ganglia proviral DNA were closely related but highly divergent from variants in peripheral compartments. Phenotyping studies characterized brain-derived virus as macrophage tropic based on the ability of the virus to infect cells expressing low levels of CD4. The lack of genetic diversity in virus from the brain suggests that this macrophage-tropic lineage quickly colonized brain regions. These data demonstrate that MG harbor replication-competent HIV and serve as a persistent reservoir in the brain.

Distinct characteristics of microglia from neurogenic and non-neurogenic regions of the human brain in patients with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

The study of microglia isolated from adult human brain tissue provides unique insight into the physiology of these brain immune cells and their role in adult human brain disorders. Reports of microglia in post-mortem adult human brain tissue show regional differences in microglial populations, however, these differences have not been fully explored in living microglia. In this study biopsy tissue was obtained from epileptic patients undergoing surgery and consisted of both cortical areas and neurogenic ventricular and hippocampal (Hp) areas. Microglia were concurrently isolated from both regions and compared by immunochemistry. Our initial observation was that a greater number of microglia resulted from isolation and culture of ventricular/Hp tissue than cortical tissue. This was found to be due to a greater proliferative capacity of microglia from ventricular/Hp regions compared to the cortex. Additionally, ventricular/Hp microglia had a greater proliferative response to the microglial mitogen Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (M-CSF). This enhanced response was found to be associated with higher M-CSF receptor expression and higher expression of proteins involved in M-CSF signalling DAP12 and C/EBPβ. Microglia from the ventricular/Hp region also displayed higher expression of the receptor for Insulin-like Growth Factor-1, a molecule with some functional similarity to M-CSF. Compared to microglia isolated from the cortex, ventricular/Hp microglia showed increased HLA-DP, DQ, DR antigen presentation protein expression and a rounded morphology. These findings show that microglia from adult human brain neurogenic regions are more proliferative than cortical microglia and have a distinct protein expression profile. The data present a case for differential microglial phenotype and function in different regions of the adult human brain and suggest that microglia in adult neurogenic regions are "primed" to an activated state by their unique tissue environment.

Routine culture and study of adult human brain cells from neurosurgical specimens

When modeling disease in the laboratory, it is important to use clinically relevant models. Patient-derived human brain cells grown in vitro to study and test potential treatments provide such a model. Here, we present simple, highly reproducible coordinated procedures that can be used to routinely culture most cell types found in the human brain from single neurosurgically excised brain specimens. The cell types that can be cultured include dissociated cultures of neurons, astrocytes, microglia, pericytes and brain endothelial and neural precursor cells, as well as explant cultures of the leptomeninges, cortical slice cultures and brain tumor cells. The initial setup of cultures takes ~2 h, and the cells are ready for further experiments within days to weeks. The resulting cells can be studied as purified or mixed population cultures, slice cultures and explant-derived cultures. This protocol therefore enables the investigation of human brain cells to facilitate translation of neuroscience research to the clinic.

Pathological Changes in Alzheimer's Disease Analyzed Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Microglia-Like Cells

Microglia constitute the majority of innate immune cells in the brain, and their dysfunction is associated with various central nervous system diseases. Human microglia are extremely difficult to obtain experimentally, thereby limiting studies on their role in complex diseases. Microglia derived from human stem cells provide new tools to assess the pathogenesis of complex diseases and to develop effective treatment methods. This study aimed to develop a reliable method to derive human microglial-like cells (iMGLs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) expressing microglia-specific markers IBA1 and TMEM119 and respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Thereafter, we compared iMGL functions from Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and cognitive normal controls (CNCs). AD-iMGLs displayed stronger phagocytic ability with or without stimulation. High LPS concentrations (>2μg/ml) caused death in CNC-iMGLs, while AD-iMGLs did not display significant cell death. Cytokine analysis revealed that TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 secreted by AD-iMGLs were significantly increased upon LPS stimulation compared to those in CNC-iMGLs. The present results indicate that AD-iMGLs exhibit significant inflammatory characteristics and can reflect some pathological changes in microglia in AD, thereby providing new valuable tools to screen candidate drugs for AD and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis.

Alzheimer's Disease Research Using Human Microglia

Experimental studies of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have mostly investigated microglia, the brain-resident macrophages. This review focused on human microglia obtained at rapid autopsies. Studies employing methods to isolate and culture human brain microglia in high purity for experimental studies were discussed. These methods were employed to isolate human microglia for investigation of a number of features of neuroinflammation, including activation phenotypes, neurotoxicity, responses to abnormal aggregated proteins such as amyloid beta, phagocytosis, and the effects of aging and disease on microglia cellular properties. In recent years, interest in human microglia and neuroinflammation has been renewed due to the identification of inflammation-related AD genetic risk factors, in particular the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-2. Because of the difficulties in developing effective treatments for AD, there has been a general need for greater understanding of the functions of microglia in normal and AD brains. While most experimental studies on neuroinflammation have employed rodent microglia, this review considered the role of human microglia in experimental studies. This review focused on the development of in vitro methodology for the culture of postmortem human microglia and the key findings obtained from experimental studies with these cells.

Exosomes from Microglia Attenuate Photoreceptor Injury and Neovascularization in an Animal Model of Retinopathy of Prematurity

The role of microglia in the pathophysiology of ischemic retinal diseases has been studied extensively. Exosomes from microglial cells exert protective effects during several nervous system diseases, but their roles in hypoxia-induced retinopathy remain unclear. In our study, exosomes derived from microglial cells were injected into the vitreous body of mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Results showed that exosome-treated OIR mice exhibited smaller avascular areas and fewer neovascular tufts in addition to decreased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) expression. Moreover, photoreceptor apoptosis was suppressed by exosome injection. Mechanistically, exosomes from microglial cells were incorporated into photoreceptors in vitro and inhibited the inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α)-X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) cascade, which contributes to hypoxia-induced photoreceptor apoptosis. Furthermore, the exosomes also downregulated the mRNA and protein levels of VEGF and TGF-β in hypoxia-exposed photoreceptors. A microRNA assay showed that microRNA-24-3p (miR-24-3p) levels were extremely high in exosomes from microglial cells, suggesting that this could be the key molecule that inhibits the hypoxia-induced expression of IRE1α in photoreceptors. These findings delineate a novel exosome-mediated mechanism of microglial cell-photoreceptor crosstalk that facilitates normal angiogenesis and visual function in OIR mice; thus, our results also suggest a potential therapeutic approach for retinopathy of prematurity.

Efficient derivation of microglia-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells

Microglia, the only lifelong resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), are highly specialized macrophages that have been recognized to have a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). However, in contrast to other cell types of the human CNS, bona fide microglia have not yet been derived from cultured human pluripotent stem cells. Here we establish a robust and efficient protocol for the rapid production of microglia-like cells from human (h) embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that uses defined serum-free culture conditions. These in vitro pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia-like cells (termed pMGLs) faithfully recapitulate the expected ontogeny and characteristics of their in vivo counterparts, and they resemble primary fetal human and mouse microglia. We generated these cells from multiple disease-specific cell lines and find that pMGLs derived from an hES model of Rett syndrome are smaller than their isogenic controls. We further describe a platform to study the integration and live behavior of pMGLs in organotypic 3D cultures. This modular differentiation system allows for the study of microglia in highly defined conditions as they mature in response to developmentally relevant cues, and it provides a framework in which to study the long-term interactions of microglia residing in a tissue-like environment.

Cultured pericytes from human brain show phenotypic and functional differences associated with differential CD90 expression

The human brain is a highly vascular organ in which the blood-brain barrier (BBB) tightly regulates molecules entering the brain. Pericytes are an integral cell type of the BBB, regulating vascular integrity, neuroinflammation, angiogenesis and wound repair. Despite their importance, identifying pericytes amongst other perivascular cell types and deciphering their specific role in the neurovasculature remains a challenge. Using primary adult human brain cultures and fluorescent-activated cell sorting, we identified two CD73(+)CD45(-) mesenchymal populations that showed either high or low CD90 expression. CD90 is known to be present on neurons in the brain and peripheral blood vessels. We found in the human brain, that CD90 immunostaining localised to the neurovasculature and often associated with pericytes. In vitro, CD90(+) cells exhibited higher basal proliferation, lower expression of markers αSMA and CD140b, produced less extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and exhibited lesser pro-inflammatory responses when compared to the CD90(-) population. Thus, CD90 distinguishes two interrelated, yet functionally distinct pericyte populations in the adult human brain that may have discrete roles in neurovascular function, immune response and scar formation.

MIF-CD74 signaling impedes microglial M1 polarization and facilitates brain tumorigenesis

Microglial cells in the brain tumor microenvironment are associated with enhanced glioma malignancy. They persist in an immunosuppressive M2 state at the peritumoral site and promote the growth of gliomas. Here, we investigated the underlying factors contributing to the abolished immune surveillance. We show that brain tumors escape pro-inflammatory M1 conversion of microglia via CD74 activation through the secretion of the cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), which results in a M2 shift of microglial cells. Interruption of this glioma-microglial interaction through an antibody-neutralizing approach or small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated inhibition prolongs survival time in glioma-implanted mice by reinstating the microglial pro-inflammatory M1 function. We show that MIF-CD74 signaling inhibits interferon (IFN)-γ secretion in microglia through phosphorylation of microglial ERK1/2 (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2). The inhibition of MIF signaling or its receptor CD74 promotes IFN-γ release and amplifies tumor death either through pharmacological inhibition or through siRNA-mediated knockdown. The reinstated IFN-γ secretion leads both to direct inhibition of glioma growth as well as inducing a M2 to M1 shift in glioma-associated microglia. Our data reveal that interference with the MIF signaling pathway represents a viable therapeutic option for the restoration of IFN-γ-driven immune surveillance.

Isolation of highly enriched primary human microglia for functional studies

Microglia, the resident macrophages of the central nervous system play vital roles in brain homeostasis through clearance of pathogenic material. Microglia are also implicated in neurological disorders through uncontrolled activation and inflammatory responses. To date, the vast majority of microglial studies have been performed using rodent models. Human microglia differ from rodent counterparts in several aspects including their response to pharmacological substances and their inflammatory secretions. Such differences highlight the need for studies on primary adult human brain microglia and methods to isolate them are therefore required. Our procedure generates microglial cultures of >95% purity from both biopsy and autopsy human brain tissue using a very simple media-based culture procedure that takes advantage of the adherent properties of these cells. Microglia obtained in this manner can be utilised for research within a week. Isolated microglia demonstrate phagocytic ability and respond to inflammatory stimuli and their purity makes them suitable for numerous other forms of in vitro studies, including secretome and transcriptome analysis. Furthermore, this protocol allows for the simultaneous isolation of neural precursor cells during the microglial isolation procedure. As human brain tissue is such a precious and valuable resource the simultaneous isolation of multiple cell types is highly beneficial.

Glioblastoma cells induce differential glutamatergic gene expressions in human tumor-associated microglia/macrophages and monocyte-derived macrophages

Glioblastoma cells produce and release high amounts of glutamate into the extracellular milieu and subsequently can trigger seizure in patients. Tumor-associated microglia/macrophages (TAMs), consisting of both parenchymal microglia and monocytes-derived macrophages (MDMs) recruited from the blood, are known to populate up to 1/3 of the glioblastoma tumor environment and exhibit an alternative, tumor-promoting and supporting phenotype. However, it is unknown how TAMs respond to the excess extracellular glutamate in the glioblastoma microenvironment. We investigated the expressions of genes related to glutamate transport and metabolism in human TAMs freshly isolated from glioblastoma resections. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed (i) significant increases in the expressions of GRIA2 (GluA2 or AMPA receptor 2), SLC1A2 (EAAT2), SLC1A3 (EAAT1), (ii) a near-significant decrease in the expression of SLC7A11 (cystine-glutamate antiporter xCT) and (iii) a remarkable increase in GLUL expression (glutamine synthetase) in these cells compared to adult primary human microglia. TAMs co-cultured with glioblastoma cells also exhibited a similar glutamatergic profile as freshly isolated TAMs except for a slight increase in SLC7A11 expression. We next analyzed these genes expressions in cultured human MDMs derived from peripheral blood monocytes for comparison. In contrast, MDMs co-cultured with glioblastoma cells compared to MDMs co-cultured with normal astrocytes exhibited decreased expressions in the tested genes except for GLUL. This is the first study to demonstrate transcriptional changes in glutamatergic signaling of TAMs in a glioblastoma microenvironment, and the findings here suggest that TAMs and MDMs might potentially elicit different cellular responses in the presence of excess extracellular glutamate.

Pseudoginsenoside-F11 (PF11) exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects on LPS-activated microglial cells by inhibiting TLR4-mediated TAK1/IKK/NF-κB, MAPKs and Akt signaling pathways

Pseudoginsenoside-F11 (PF11), an ocotillol-type ginsenoside, has been shown to possess significant neuroprotective activity. Since microglia-mediated inflammation is critical for induction of neurodegeneration, this study was designed to investigate the effect of PF11 on activated microglia. PF11 significantly suppressed the release of ROS and proinflammatory mediators induced by LPS in a microglial cell line N9 including NO, PGE2, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Moreover, PF11 inhibited interaction and expression of TLR4 and MyD88 in LPS-activated N9 cells, resulting in an inhibition of the TAK1/IKK/NF-κB signaling pathway. PF11 also inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and MAPKs induced by LPS in N9 cells. Importantly, PF11 significantly alleviated the death of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and primary cortical neurons induced by the conditioned-medium from activated microglia. At last, the effect of PF11 on neuroinflammation was confirmed in vivo: PF11 mitigated the microglial activation and proinflammatory factors expression obviously in both cortex and hippocampus in mice injected intrahippocampally with LPS. These findings indicate that PF11 exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects on LPS-activated microglial cells by inhibiting TLR4-mediated TAK1/IKK/NF-κB, MAPKs and Akt signaling pathways, suggesting its therapeutic implication for neurodegenerative disease associated with neuroinflammation.

Adult human glia, pericytes and meningeal fibroblasts respond similarly to IFNy but not to TGFβ1 or M-CSF

The chemokine Interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) are widely used indicators of glial activation and neuroinflammation and are up-regulated in many brain disorders. These inflammatory mediators have been widely studied in rodent models of brain disorders, but less work has been undertaken using human brain cells. In this study we investigate the regulation of HLA and IP-10, as well as other cytokines and chemokines, in microglia, astrocytes, pericytes, and meningeal fibroblasts derived from biopsy and autopsy adult human brain, using immunocytochemistry and a Cytometric Bead Array. Interferonγ (IFNγ) increased microglial HLA expression, but contrary to data in rodents, the anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) did not inhibit this increase in HLA, nor did TGFβ1 affect basal microglial HLA expression or IFNγ-induced astrocytic HLA expression. In contrast, IFNγ-induced and basal microglial HLA expression, but not IFNγ-induced astrocytic HLA expression, were strongly inhibited by macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF). IFNγ also strongly induced HLA expression in pericytes and meningeal fibroblasts, which do not basally express HLA, and this induction was completely blocked by TGFβ1, but not affected by M-CSF. In contrast, TGFβ1 did not block the IFNγ-induced increase in IP-10 in pericytes and meningeal fibroblasts. These results show that IFNγ, TGFβ1 and M-CSF have species- and cell type-specific effects on human brain cells that may have implications for their roles in adult human brain inflammation.