National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 5R01NS128094-04

Interrogating a white matter degeneration-specific astrocyte reactivity state and its role in governing repair-associated microglia specification and function

NIH awarded a research grant to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to study astrocyte-microglia interactions in white matter degeneration using advanced sequencing and mouse models to understand CNS repair mechanisms.

Description

This research aims to dissect molecular pathways of astrocyte-microglia interaction that govern pro-restorative CNS innate immune responses to white matter degeneration. The study will investigate a newly identified mechanism of intercellular communication through which a subpopulation of white matter degeneration-reactive astrocytes regulate microglia specification and function required for myelin debris removal and tissue repair. The project involves using transgenic mouse models, single-nucleus RNA-Sequencing (snRNA-Seq), and chromatin accessibility sequencing (snATAC-Seq) to analyze astrocyte reactivity and microglia function over time in models of white matter degeneration.

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