Nature Communications (Mar 2018)

Microglia remodel synapses by presynaptic trogocytosis and spine head filopodia induction

  • Laetitia Weinhard,
  • Giulia di Bartolomei,
  • Giulia Bolasco,
  • Pedro Machado,
  • Nicole L. Schieber,
  • Urte Neniskyte,
  • Melanie Exiga,
  • Auguste Vadisiute,
  • Angelo Raggioli,
  • Andreas Schertel,
  • Yannick Schwab,
  • Cornelius T. Gross

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03566-5
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Direct visualization of microglia-mediated synapse pruning has been lacking. This study shows direct evidence of microglia-synapse interaction where microglia do not necessarily ‘eat’ post-synaptic structure but ‘nibble’ on pre-synaptic terminals, much akin to trogocytosis by lymphocytes.