The Lifespan and Turnover of Microglia in the Human Brain

Publication date: 25 July 2017
Source:Cell Reports, Volume 20, Issue 4
Author(s): Pedro Réu, Azadeh Khosravi, Samuel Bernard, Jeff E. Mold, Mehran Salehpour, Kanar Alkass, Shira Perl, John Tisdale, Göran Possnert, Henrik Druid, Jonas Frisén
The hematopoietic system seeds the CNS with microglial progenitor cells during the fetal period, but the subsequent cell generation dynamics and maintenance of this population have been poorly understood. We report that microglia, unlike most other hematopoietic lineages, renew slowly at a median rate of 28% per year, and some microglia last for more than two decades. Furthermore, we find no evidence for the existence of a substantial population of quiescent long-lived cells, meaning that the microglia population in the human brain is sustained by continuous slow turnover throughout adult life.

Graphical abstract

Teaser

Taking advantage of the decreasing level of atmospheric ¹⁴C since the Cold War, Réu et al. show that human microglia, unlike most other hematopoietic lineages, slowly turn over at a yearly median rate of 28%. The absence of a large quiescent subpopulation indicates that most microglia will renew throughout life.


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