Transcriptional profiling of microglia lacking Smad2/3

Smad2/3 are canonical effector of TGFb signaling. This pathway is essential for microglial differentiation. We isolated Smad2/3-deficient microglia from mice and determined their transcriptional profiles. By comparing to control microglia, we observed changes in the expression of genes involved in macrophage function and lipid metabolism, which is consistent with the importance of these processes in microglial homeostasis. since microglia lacking Smad2/3 show an activated phenotype, these results provide insights into the transcriptional regulation of microglial function. We FACS-sorted microglia from brains of 4 mice lacking Smad2/3 in microglia and 4 wild-type littermates at P60.Smad2/3是转化生长因子β（TGFb）信号通路的经典效应分子。该通路对小胶质细胞（microglia）的分化至关重要。我们从小鼠体内分离获得Smad2/3缺陷型小胶质细胞，并对其转录谱进行了分析。与对照小胶质细胞相比，我们观察到巨噬细胞功能与脂质代谢相关基因的表达发生显著改变，这与上述过程在小胶质细胞稳态维持中的重要性相契合。由于缺失Smad2/3的小胶质细胞呈现激活表型，本研究结果为小胶质细胞功能的转录调控机制提供了新的见解。我们于小鼠出生后第60天（P60），从4只小胶质细胞特异性缺失Smad2/3的小鼠以及4只同窝野生型小鼠的脑组织中，通过荧光激活细胞分选术（Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting, FACS）分选得到小胶质细胞。