Galectin-1 as a marker for microglia activation in the aging brain.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 0045503 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1872-6240 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00068993 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Brain Res Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Original Publication: Amsterdam Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press.
    • Subject Terms:
      Aging*/metabolism ; Biomarkers*/metabolism ; Brain*/metabolism ; Galectin 1*/metabolism ; Microglia*/metabolism; Animals ; Mice ; Rats
    • Abstract:
      Microglia cells, the immune cells residing in the brain, express immune regulatory molecules that have a central role in the manifestation of age-related brain characteristics. Our hypothesis suggests that galectin-1, an anti-inflammatory member of the beta-galactoside-binding lectin family, regulates microglia and neuroinflammation in the aging brain. Through our in-silico analysis, we discovered a subcluster of microglia in the aged mouse brain that exhibited increased expression of galectin-1 mRNA. In our Western blotting experiments, we observed a decrease in galectin-1 protein content in our rat primary cortical cultures over time. Additionally, we found that the presence of lipopolysaccharide, an immune activator, significantly increased the expression of galectin-1 protein in microglial cells. Utilizing flow cytometry, we determined that a portion of the galectin-1 protein was localized on the surface of the microglial cells. As cultivation time increased, we observed a decrease in the expression of activation-coupled molecules in microglial cells, indicating cellular exhaustion. In our mixed rat primary cortical cell cultures, we noted a transition of amoeboid microglial cells labeled with OX42(CD11b/c) to a ramified, branched phenotype during extended cultivation, accompanied by a complete disappearance of galectin-1 expression. By analyzing the transcriptome of a distinct microglial subpopulation in an animal model of aging, we established a correlation between chronological aging and galectin-1 expression. Furthermore, our in vitro study demonstrated that galectin-1 expression is associated with the functional activation state of microglial cells exhibiting specific amoeboid morphological characteristics. Based on our findings, we identify galectin-1 as a marker for microglia activation in the context of aging.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
      (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: Aging; Galectin-1; Microglia; Neuroinflammation
    • Accession Number:
      0 (Biomarkers)
      0 (Galectin 1)
      0 (Lgals1 protein, mouse)
      0 (Lgals1 protein, rat)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20230809 Date Completed: 20231003 Latest Revision: 20231003
    • Publication Date:
      20231003
    • Accession Number:
      10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148517
    • Accession Number:
      37557976