Extracellular adenosine is required for a directional movement of microglial processes towards a focal laser lesion in acute brain slice.

Abstract

<p>(A) Accumulation of microglia processes around a focal laser lesion in an acute brain slice derived from MacGreen/wild-type andMacGreen/cd39^-/- mice was studied using confocal microscopy; after a laser lesion was set a brain slice was incubated either with ACSF alone (ACSF) or with ACSF supplemented with adenosine (ADO, 1 μM) and dipyridamole (dip, 20 μM). A laser lesion was set as marked by asterisk. Scale bar 15 μm. (B) Box-plot shows the absolute number of microglial processes that were accumulated around a laser lesion spot in slices from MacGreen/wild-type mice (lesions, n = 9) and in slices from MacGreen/cd39^-/- mice in the presence of ACSF alone (lesions, n = 17; white box) and in ACSF supplemented with adenosine (ADO, 1 μM) and dipyridamole (dip, 20 μM) (lesions, n = 15) (grey box); black lines show the median of the data. Significant difference was tested by one-way ANOVA, *** denotes p < 0.001.</p