Abstract TP206: Scrnaseq Revealed Increased Microglial Expression Of Interferon-induced Transmembrane 3 (ifitm3) In Stroke And Other Inflammatory Conditions In The Brain.

Abstract

Microglia (MG) play critical roles in modulating inflammation and interferon signaling is a driver of neuroinflammation in various neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, Ifitm3 (a member of the “interferon-inducible transmembrane” family) has been revealed as a molecular mediator between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. However, expression of Ifitm3 in MG under inflammatory conditions, is not well described. Methods: To define the expression of Ifitm3 following stroke, permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion was performed with aged mice (18-22 mos). Brains were isolated at post-stroke day (PSD) 14 for single-cell RNAseq (scRNAseq), and at PSD 3, 7, and 14 for immunostaining and qRT-PCR. Primary microglial culture was established to evaluate mRNA levels of Ifitm3 and other pro-inflammatory genes to cytokine treatment. Results: Our scRNAseq revealed that Ifitm3 is among the top 10 genes upregulated in MG following stroke in aged brains. To validate these findings, we utilized a stroke model in aged mice and primary cell culture. We found that ischemic injury causes an induction of Ifitm3 in the striatum and peri-infarcted area following stroke, with peak induction PSD 7 (n=3-5, p<0.01). We also examined the induction of other Ifitm gene mRNA in brains following stroke. Interestingly, among Ifitm family members, only Ifitm3 was markedly induced in the damaged cortex of PSD 3 brains (n=4-6). We found that Ifitm3 expression is induced in primary MG following treatment with proinflammatory mediators (TNFα/IFNγ) for 6 hours (n=5-6, p<0.05) or for 24 hours (n=7-8, p<0.01). TNFα/IFNγ treatment also induced increased expression of inflammasome component gene, Il1b and Casp1 . There was a close correlation between Ifitm3 and Casp1 expression, suggesting a potential of Ifitm3 in inflammasome activation. Conclusions: We demonstrated the profound induction of Ifitm3 in activated MG within the stroke brain in aged mice and in response to inflammatory factors in primary microglia culture. These studies identify Ifitm3 as a novel player involved in microglial modulation in response to a variety of inflammatory conditions. Future studies are warranted to determine if Ifitm3 deletion or inhibition can reduce neuroinflammation in the stroke brain.