Microglia undergo transcriptional, translational and functional adaptations to dark and light phases in laboratory mice

Mattei, D.; Ivanov, A.; Hammer, J.; Ugursu, B.; Schalbetter, S.; Richetto, J.; Weber-Stadelbauer, U.; Mueller, F.; Scarborough, J.; Wolf, S. A.; Kettenmann, H.; Wollscheid, B.; Beule, D.; Meyer, U.

doi:10.1101/2023.11.17.567571

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.11.17.567571

Microglia undergo transcriptional, translational and functional adaptations to dark and light phases in laboratory mice

Mattei, D.·Ivanov, A.·Hammer, J.·Ugursu, B.·Schalbetter, S.·Richetto, J.·Weber-Stadelbauer, U.·Mueller, F.·Scarborough, J.·Wolf, S. A.·Kettenmann, H.·Wollscheid, B.·Beule, D.·Meyer, U.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Microglia cells are increasingly recognized to contribute to brain health and disease. Preclinical studies using laboratory rodents are essential to advance our understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological functions of these cells in the central nervous system. Rodents are nocturnal animals, and they are mostly maintained in a defined light-dark cycle within animal facilities, with many laboratories investigating microglial molecular and functional profiles during the animals light (sleep) phase. However, only a few studies have considered possible differences in microglial functions between the active and sleep phases. Based on initial evidence suggesting that microglial intrinsic clock genes can affect their phenotype, we sought to investigate differences in transcriptional, proteotype and functional profiles of microglia between light (sleep) and dark (active) phases, and how these changes are affected in pathological models. We found marked transcriptional and proteotype differences between microglia harvested during the light or dark phase. Amongst others, these differences related to genes and proteins associated with immune responses, motility, and phagocytosis, which were reflected by functional alterations in microglial synaptic pruning and response to bacterial stimuli. Possibly accounting for such circadian changes, we found RNA and protein regulation in SWI/SNF and NuRD chromatin remodeling complexes between light and dark phases. Importantly, we show that microglial circadian transcriptional changes are impaired in a model of immune-mediated neurodevelopmental disorders. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering circadian factors in studying microglial cells and indicate that implementing a circadian perspective is pivotal for advancing our understanding of their physiological and pathophysiological roles in brain health and disease. This may also open novel avenues towards therapeutic strategies for modulating microglial functions during specific windows of the active or sleep phase.

Explore related subjects

neuroscience Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Mattei, D., Ivanov, A., Hammer, J., Ugursu, B., Schalbetter, S., Richetto, J., Weber-Stadelbauer, U., Mueller, F., Scarborough, J., Wolf, S. A., Kettenmann, H., Wollscheid, B., Beule, D., Meyer, U.. 2023-11-17. Microglia undergo transcriptional, translational and functional adaptations to dark and light phases in laboratory mice. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.17.567571

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Novel Tau Interaction Partners as Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Alzheimers disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder leading to cognitive decline and ultimately death. One of the main hallmarks of this disease is the accumulation of pathological tau protein into neurofibrillary tangles. To better understand these pathological mechanisms, it is essential to characterize the tau protein interactome in health and disease. In this study, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening using a human brain cDNA library, from which we identified 15 novel tau-interacting proteins that bind to full-length human tau, or its fragments: the N-terminus, microtubule-binding domain, or C-terminus. We subsequently validated these novel interactions using in vitro co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization assays with both physiological and pathological tau isoforms. Furthermore, their interactions with the human tau protein were analyzed using surface plasmon resonance. Finally, an in silico interactome analysis of these newly discovered tau-binding partners revealed several additional interactors that can link them to downstream processes critical to neurodegenerative pathways Our findings offer fresh insights into tau biology and highlight novel targets for therapeutic intervention and biomarker development.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Early visual cortex is not functionally necessary for temporal attention: A TMS study

Temporal attention enhances the selective processing of information at a specific point in time and improves perception. Previous neuroimaging studies investigating its neural mechanisms have either conflated temporal attention with temporal expectation or provided correlational evidence. Thus, whether early visual cortex is functionally necessary for temporal attention remains unknown. Here, we combined psychophysics with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine whether V1/V2 are functionally necessary and play a causal role in temporal attention. Observers performed an orientation-discrimination task in which two consecutive stimuli, T1 and T2, were presented in the periphery, preceded by a precue providing either valid or neutral temporal information. Double-pulse TMS was delivered under four conditions: at T1 (T1-TMS), at T2 (T2-TMS), at both T1 and T2 (both-TMS), or not at all (none-TMS), to assess its effects on temporal attention and the efficacy of the stimulation was verified by pupil size analysis. Behavioral results revealed robust temporal attention benefits on d', reaction time, and the Balanced Integration Score (BIS) across all four TMS conditions, indicating that the benefits of temporal attention were unaffected by occipital TMS. Furthermore, pupil dilation was largest in the both-TMS condition, followed by the T1-TMS and T2-TMS conditions, and smallest in the none-TMS condition, providing physiological verification of the stimulation protocol. Together, these findings reveal the first causal evidence that the early visual cortex is not functionally necessary for endogenous temporal attention.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Disentanglement of persistent and dynamic neural substrates of working memory

Competing theories of working memory have alternatively emphasized the importance of persistent and dynamic substrates of this cognitive function. Here, we directly tested these theories by computationally isolating the contributions of persistent and dynamic activity to working memory. We analyzed neuronal population activity recordings in macaques doing match/non-match working memory tasks. We first extracted signatures of persistent and dynamic activity through cue-specific temporal means, temporal principal components, and correlations of activity patterns across task epochs. We then generated synthetic data constrained by these signatures, and decoded cue stimuli from these data, separately from persistent and non-persistent neurons. We found that high decoding performance arose from a nuanced interplay of persistent and dynamic activity. Specifically, we could decode stimuli at empirical or above-chance levels across all tasks only from persistent neurons, but only after constraining correlations of activity patterns across epochs. In this way, we showed distinct roles for persistent and dynamic neuronal activity that help to unify two competing theories of working memory. More broadly, we also advanced computational controlled experiments as a principled framework for adjudicating between competing models of neuronal population activity.

neuroscience↗