In vivo SPIM and confocal imaging of neuronal efferocytosis by microglia

Image files (raw and processed) underlying the study “A role for the centrosome in regulating the rate of neuronal efferocytosis by microglia in vivo” by Möller et. al; eLife 2022. The aim of the study was to investigate neuronal efferocytosis, a process where microglia phagocytose apoptotic neurons in the developing brain. By taking a live imaging approach in the transparent zebrafish embryonic brain, they show a central role for microtubules and the centrosome in neuronal efferocytosis. The study finds that while microglia generate multiple microtubule-based branches, they only successfully engulf one apoptotic neuron at a time, and that centrosomal migration into microglial branches is the rate-limiting step in this process. The PLC-DAG signaling pathway is identified as an important mechanism in centrosomal recruitment to the phagocytic cup. Finally, photoswitchable perturbations of microtubules show how microglia are increadibly robust and can switch modes of phagocytosis when lacking dynamic microtubules.

本数据集为Möller等人2022年发表于《eLife》的研究《中心体在体内调控小胶质细胞（microglia）介导的神经元胞葬（neuronal efferocytosis）速率中的作用》提供支撑，包含原始图像文件与经处理的图像文件。该研究旨在探究神经元胞葬作用——即发育大脑中小胶质细胞吞噬凋亡神经元的过程——的调控机制。研究团队借助透明斑马鱼胚胎脑的活细胞成像（live imaging）手段，证实了微管（microtubules）与中心体（centrosome）在神经元胞葬过程中的核心调控作用。研究发现，尽管小胶质细胞可生成多条基于微管的突起，但每次仅能成功吞噬一个凋亡神经元；而中心体向小胶质细胞突起的迁移，是该过程的速率限制步骤。研究还鉴定出PLC-DAG信号通路（PLC-DAG signaling pathway）是中心体招募至吞噬杯（phagocytic cup）的关键调控机制。最后，通过对微管进行光可控扰动（photoswitchable perturbations）实验，研究团队揭示了小胶质细胞具有极强的鲁棒性：在缺乏动态微管的情况下，小胶质细胞可切换吞噬模式。