Pharmacological Research (Sep 2023)

Microglia sense and suppress epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability

  • Yang Hu,
  • Yuanyuan Yao,
  • Honggang Qi,
  • Jiurong Yang,
  • Canyu Zhang,
  • Aifeng Zhang,
  • Xiufang Liu,
  • Chenchen Zhang,
  • Guangming Gan,
  • Xinjian Zhu

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 195
p. 106881

Abstract

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Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system, undertaking surveillance role and reacting to brain homeostasis and neurological diseases. Recent studies indicate that microglia modulate epilepsy-induced neuronal activities, however, the mechanisms underlying microglia-neuron communication in epilepsy are still unclear. Here we report that epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability activates microglia and drives microglial ATP/ADP hydrolyzing ectoenzyme CD39 (encoded by Entpd1) expression via recruiting the cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB)-regulated transcription coactivator-1 (CRTC1) from cytoplasm to the nucleus and binding to CREB. Activated microglia in turn suppress epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability in a CD39 dependent manner. Disrupting microglial CREB/CRTC1 signaling, however, decreases CD39 expression and diminishes the inhibitory effect of microglia on epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability. Overall, our findings reveal CD39-dependent control of epileptic neuronal hyperexcitability by microglia is through an excitation-transcription coupling mechanism.

Keywords