Cranial Irradiation Induces Migration of Bone Marrow-derived Microglia (BMDM) to the Cerebellum in Adult C57BL/6 Mice

Abstract

Microglia is a resident immunological effector cell of the central nerve system. It has a key role in the defense of neural parenchyma against neurodegeneration and brain tumor. Recent studies have shown that adult microglia derived from primitive myeloid progenitors arising prior to embryonic day 8, and postnatal hematopoietic progenitors little contribute to microglia homeostasis in the brain of adult mice. On the other hand, some studies have suggested that “whole body irradiation” induced migration of bone marrow cells to the brain, which displayed the property of microglia.