Radiotherapy induces persistent innate immune reprogramming of microglia into a primed state.
Cell Rep
; 43(2): 113764, 2024 Feb 27.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38358885
ABSTRACT
Over half of patients with brain tumors experience debilitating and often progressive cognitive decline after radiotherapy treatment. Microglia, the resident macrophages in the brain, have been implicated in this decline. In response to various insults, microglia can develop innate immune memory (IIM), which can either enhance (priming or training) or repress (tolerance) the response to subsequent inflammatory challenges. Here, we investigate whether radiation affects the IIM of microglia by irradiating the brains of rats and later exposing them to a secondary inflammatory stimulus. Comparative transcriptomic profiling and protein validation of microglia isolated from irradiated rats show a stronger immune response to a secondary inflammatory insult, demonstrating that radiation can lead to long-lasting molecular reprogramming of microglia. Transcriptomic analysis of postmortem normal-appearing non-tumor brain tissue of patients with glioblastoma indicates that radiation-induced microglial priming is likely conserved in humans. Targeting microglial priming or avoiding further inflammatory insults could decrease radiotherapy-induced neurotoxicity.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Brain
/
Microglia
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Cell Rep
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Country of publication: