Astrocyte-microglia crosstalk through Hevin and Toll-like receptor signaling controls developmental thalamocortical synapse refinement - PubMed
11 hours ago
- #Astrocyte-microglia crosstalk
- #Synapse refinement
- #TLR4 signaling
- Astrocyte-microglia crosstalk via Hevin and TLR4 signaling regulates thalamocortical synapse refinement during development.
- Hevin/SPARCL1, secreted by astrocytes, promotes synapse formation and plasticity in the mouse visual cortex.
- Proteolytic cleavage of Hevin produces a C-terminal fragment that signals to microglia via TLR4, inducing a distinct microglial state.
- Microglial TLR4 signaling is essential for proper elimination of thalamocortical synapses in early postnatal development.
- The study highlights the dual role of Hevin in synapse formation (via astrocytes) and elimination (via microglia).