Microglia are a major neuroglial component of the CNS, playing an important role as resident immunocompetent and phagocytic cells in the CNS in the event of injury and disease. To understand the role of microglia in the CNS in health and diseases, we have recently established an immortalized clonal cell line of human microglia, HMO6, from human embryonic telencephalon tissue by using a retroviral vector encoding v-myc. This immortalized microglia HMO6 cell line exhibits cell-type-specific antigens for microglia, including CD11b (Mac-1), CD68, CD86 (B7-2), HLA-ABC, HLA-DR, and RCA-1 lectin, and actively phagocytoses latex beads.
(c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.