RNA-Seq transcriptomic profiling of primary murine microglia treated with LPS or LPS + IFNγ

Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 31;8(1):16096. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-34412-9.

Abstract

Microglia, the main resident immune cells in the CNS, are thought to participate in the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. LPS and LPS + IFNγ are stimuli that are widely used to activate microglia. However, the transcriptomic profiles of microglia treated with LPS and LPS + IFNγ have not been properly compared. Here, we treated murine primary microglial cultures with LPS or LPS + IFNγ for 6 hours and then performed RNA-Sequencing. Gene expression patterns induced by the treatments were obtained by WGCNA and 11 different expression profiles were found, showing differential responses to LPS and LPS + IFNγ in many genes. Interestingly, a subset of genes involved in Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease were downregulated by both treatments. By DESeq analysis we found differentially upregulated and downregulated genes that confirmed LPS and LPS + IFNγ as inducers of microglial pro-inflammatory responses, but also highlighted their involvement in specific cell functions. In response to LPS, microglia tended to be more proliferative, pro-inflammatory and phagocytic; whereas LPS + IFNγ inhibited genes were involved in pain, cell division and, unexpectedly, production of some inflammatory mediators. In summary, this study provides a detailed description of the transcriptome of LPS- and LPS + IFNγ treated primary microglial cultures. It may be useful to determine whether these in vitro phenotypes resemble microglia in in vivo pathological conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
  • Gene Ontology
  • Gene Regulatory Networks / drug effects
  • Interferon-gamma / pharmacology*
  • Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology*
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Microglia / drug effects
  • Microglia / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Open Reading Frames / genetics
  • Phenotype
  • RNA, Untranslated / genetics
  • RNA, Untranslated / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Toll-Like Receptors / metabolism
  • Transcriptome / drug effects
  • Transcriptome / genetics*

Substances

  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • RNA, Untranslated
  • Toll-Like Receptors
  • Interferon-gamma