Abstract
In rats given two single intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 1 and 4 days of age and killed at 7 days of age, 11.5–12% of amoeboid microglial cells (AMC) in the supraventricular corpus callosum were induced to express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen, as detected with monoclonal antibody OX-6. The MHC class II antigen induced was colocalized with MHC class I antigen and type 3 complement receptors on the same cells. The expression of MHC class II antigen on the plasma membrane of AMC was confirmed in immunoelectron microscopy. Although OX-6-positive AMC often assumed a perivascular position, the majority of them, however, were far removed from the blood vessels. The cytoplasmic processes of the perivascular OX-6-positive AMC appeared to rest directly on the vascular lamina, and in some section profiles they were in contact with a large surface area of the outer wall of small blood vessels. It is concluded from this study that although MHC class II antigen is not constitutively present on AMC, it is, however, inducible under stimulation with LPS. It is, therefore, suggested that the OX-6-positive AMC, especially the perivascular AMC, may have the potentiality to function as antigen-presenting cells in the developing brain when challenged by LPS.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dickson DW, Lee SC, Mattiace LA, Yen S-HC, Brosnan C (1993) Microglia and cytokines in neuroglial disease, with special reference to AIDS and Alzheimer's Disease. Glia 7:75–83
Frei K, Siepl C, Groscurtl P, Bodmer S, Schwerder C, Fontana A (1987) Antigen presentation and tumor cytotoxicity by interferon-γ-treated microglial cells. Eur J Immunol 17:1271–1278
Frei K, Siepl C, Groscurth P, Bodmer S, Fontana A (1988) Immunobiology of microglial cells. Ann NY Acad Sci 540:218–227
Gehrmann J, Gold R, Linington C, Lannes-Vieira J, Wekert H, Kreutzberg GW (1993) Microglial involvement in experimental autoimmune inflammation of the central and peripheral nervous system. Glia 7:50–59
Graeber MB, Streit WJ (1990) Perivascular microglia defined. Trends Neurosci 13:366
Head JR, Griffin WS (1985) Functional capacity of solid tissue transplants in the brain: evidence for immunological privilege. Proc R Soc Lond [Biol] 224:375–387
Hickey WF, Kimura H (1988) Perivascular microglial cells of the CNS are bone marrow-derived and present antigen in vivo. Science 239:290–292
Hickey WF, Vass K, Lassmann H (1992) Bone marrow-derived elements in the central nervous system: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural survey of rat chimeras. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 51:246–256
Kajiwara K, Hirozane A, Fikumoto T, Orita T, Nishizaki T, Kamiryo T, Ito H (1991) Major histocompatibility complex expression in brain of rats with graft-versus-host disease. J Neuroimmunol 32:191–198
Kaur C, Ling EA (1992) Activation and re-expression of surface antigen in microglia following an epidural application of kainic acid in the rat brain. J Anat 180:333–342
Lampson LA (1987) Molecular bases of the immune response to neural antigens. Trends Neurosci 10:211–216
Ling EA, Kaur C, Wong WC (1991) Expression of major histocompatibility complex and leukocyte common antigens in amoeboid microglia in postnatal rats. J Anat 177:117–126
McLean IW, Nakane PK (1974) Periodate-lysine-paraformaldehyde fixative: a new fixative for immunoelectron microscopy. J Histochem Cytochem 22:1077–1087
Perry VH, Gordon S (1991) Macrophages and the nervous system. Int Rev Cytol 125:203–244
Poltorak M, Freed WJ (1989) Immunological reactions induced by intracerebral transplantation: evidence that host microglia but not astroglia are the antigen presenti ng cells. Exp Neurol 103:222–233
Sasaki A, Levison SW, Ting J-PY (1989) Comparison and quantitation of Ia antigen expression on cultured macroglia and amoeboid microglia from Lewis rat cerebral cortex: analyses and implications. J neuroimmunol 25:63–74
Sasaki A, Nakazato Y (1992) The identity of cells expressing MHC class II antigens in normal and pathological human brain. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 18:13–26
Sethna MP, Lampson LA (1991) Immune modulation within the brain recruitment of inflammatory cells and increased major histocompatibility antigen expression following intracerebral injection of interferon-γ. J Neuroimmunol 34:121–132
Steiniger B, Meide PH van der (1988) Rat ependyma and microglia cells express class II MHC antigen after intravenous infusion of recombinant gamma interferon. J neuroimmunol 19:111–118
Streit WJ, Graeber MB, Kreutzberg GW (1988) Functional plasticity of microglia: a review. Glia 1:301–307
Streit WJ, Graeber MB, Kreutzberg GW (1989) Expression of Ia antigen on perivascular and microglia cells after sublethal and lethal motor neuron injury. Exp Neurol 105:115–126
Unger ER, Sung JH, Manivei JC, Chenggis ML, Blazar BR, Krivit W (1993) Male donor-derived cells in the brains of females sex-mismatched bone marrow transplant recipients: a Y-chromosome specific in situ hybridization study. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 52:460–470
Vass K, Lassmann H (1990) Intrathecal application of interferon gamma: progressive appearance of MHC antigens within the rat nervous system. Am J Pat hol 137:789–800
Xu J, Kaur C, Ling EA (1993) Variation with age in the labelling of amoeboid microglial cells in rats following intraperitoneal or intravenous injection of a fluorescent dye. J Anat 182:55–63
Xu J, Ling EA (1994a) Upregulation and induction of surface antigens with special reference to MHC class II expression on microglia in postnatal rat brain following intravenous or intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide. J Anat 184:285–296
Xu J, Ling EA (1994b) Upregulation and induction of MHC class I and II antigens on microglial cells in early postnatal rat brain following intraperitoneal injections of recombinant interferongamma. Neuroscience (in press)
Ziegler HK, Staffileno LK, Wentworth P (1984) Modulation of macrophage Ia-expression by lipopolysaccharide. I. Induction of Ia expression in vivo. J Immunol 133:1825–1835
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xu, J., Ling, EA. Expression of major histocompatibility complex class II antigen on amoeboid microglial cells in early postnatal rat brain following intraperitoneal injections of lipopolysaccharide. Exp Brain Res 100, 287–292 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00227198
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00227198