Amit Spinrad

Bio: Amit Spinrad is an academic researcher from Weizmann Institute of Science. The author has contributed to research in topics: Microglia & Offspring. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 7 publications receiving 2689 citations.

Microglia development follows a stepwise program to regulate brain homeostasis

Abstract: Microglia, the resident myeloid cells of the central nervous system, play important roles in life-long brain maintenance and in pathology. Despite their crucial role, their regulatory dynamics during brain development have not been fully elucidated. Genome-wide chromatin and expression profiling coupled with single-cell transcriptomic analysis throughout development reveal that microglia undergo three temporal developmental stages in synchrony with the brain: early, pre-, and adult microglia, which are under distinct regulatory circuits. Knockout of the adult microglia transcription factor MafB and environmental perturbations, such as those affecting the microbiome or prenatal immune activation, led to disruption of developmental genes and immune response pathways. Together, our work identifies a stepwise developmental program of microglia integrating immune response pathways that may be associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders.

Breaking immune tolerance by targeting Foxp3+ regulatory T cells mitigates Alzheimer’s disease pathology

Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder in which chronic neuroinflammation contributes to disease escalation. Nevertheless, while immunosuppressive drugs have repeatedly failed in treating this disease, recruitment of myeloid cells to the CNS was shown to play a reparative role in animal models. Here we show, using the 5XFAD AD mouse model, that transient depletion of Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs), or pharmacological inhibition of their activity, is followed by amyloid-β plaque clearance, mitigation of the neuroinflammatory response and reversal of cognitive decline. We further show that transient Treg depletion affects the brain's choroid plexus, a selective gateway for immune cell trafficking to the CNS, and is associated with subsequent recruitment of immunoregulatory cells, including monocyte-derived macrophages and Tregs, to cerebral sites of plaque pathology. Our findings suggest targeting Treg-mediated systemic immunosuppression for treating AD.

Mef2C restrains microglial inflammatory response and is lost in brain ageing in an IFN-I-dependent manner.

Abstract: During ageing, microglia acquire a phenotype that may negatively affect brain function Here we show that ageing microglial phenotype is largely imposed by interferon type I (IFN-I) chronically present in aged brain milieu Overexpression of IFN-β in the CNS of adult wild-type mice, but not of mice lacking IFN-I receptor on their microglia, induces an ageing-like transcriptional microglial signature, and impairs cognitive performance Furthermore, we demonstrate that age-related IFN-I milieu downregulates microglial myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C (Mef2C) Immune challenge in mice lacking Mef2C in microglia results in an exaggerated microglial response and has an adverse effect on mice behaviour Overall, our data indicate that the chronic presence of IFN-I in the brain microenvironment, which negatively affects cognitive function, is mediated via modulation of microglial activity These findings may shed new light on other neurological conditions characterized by elevated IFN-I signalling in the brain

Maternal Type-I interferon signaling adversely affects the microglia and the behavior of the offspring accompanied by increased sensitivity to stress.

Abstract: Viral infection during pregnancy is often associated with neuropsychiatric conditions. In mice, exposure of pregnant dams to the viral mimetic poly(I:C), serves as a model that simulates such pathology in the offspring, through a process known as Maternal Immune Activation (MIA). To investigate the mechanism of such effect, we hypothesized that maternal upregulation of Type-I interferon (IFN-I), as part of the dam's antiviral response, might contribute to the damage imposed on the offspring. Using mRNA sequencing and flow cytometry analyses we found that poly(I:C) treatment during pregnancy caused reduced expression of genes related to proliferation and cell cycle in the offspring's microglia relative to controls. This was found to be associated with an IFN-I signature in the embryonic yolk sac, the origin of microglia in development. Neutralizing IFN-I signaling in dams attenuated the effect of MIA on the newborn's microglia, while systemic maternal administration of IFNβ was sufficient to mimic the effect of poly(I:C), and led to increased vulnerability of offspring's microglia to subsequent stress. Furthermore, maternal elevation of IFNβ resulted in behavioral manifestations reminiscent of neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, by adopting a "two-hit" experimental paradigm, we show a higher sensitivity of the offspring to postnatal stress subsequent to the maternal IFNβ elevation, demonstrated by behavioral irregularities. Our results suggest that maternal upregulation of IFN-I, in response to MIA, interferes with the offspring's programmed microglial developmental cascade, increases their susceptibility to postnatal stress, and leads to behavioral abnormalities.

A lineage of myeloid cells independent of Myb and hematopoietic stem cells

Abstract: Macrophage Development Rewritten Macrophages provide protection against a wide variety of infections and critically shape the inflammatory environment in many tissues. These cells come in many flavors, as determined by differences in gene expression, cell surface phenotype and specific function. Schulz et al. (p. 86, published online 22 March) investigated whether adult macrophages all share a common developmental origin. Immune cells, including most macrophages, are widely thought to arise from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which require the transcription factor Myb for their development. Analysis of Myb-deficient mice revealed that a population of yolk-sac–derived, tissue-resident macrophages was able to develop and persist in adult mice in the absence of HSCs. Importantly, yolk sac–derived macrophages also contributed substantially to the tissue macrophage pool even when HSCs were present. In mice, a population of tissue-resident macrophages arises independently of bone marrow–derived stem cells. Macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) are key components of cellular immunity and are thought to originate and renew from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, some macrophages develop in the embryo before the appearance of definitive HSCs. We thus reinvestigated macrophage development. We found that the transcription factor Myb was required for development of HSCs and all CD11bhigh monocytes and macrophages, but was dispensable for yolk sac (YS) macrophages and for the development of YS-derived F4/80bright macrophages in several tissues, such as liver Kupffer cells, epidermal Langerhans cells, and microglia—cell populations that all can persist in adult mice independently of HSCs. These results define a lineage of tissue macrophages that derive from the YS and are genetically distinct from HSC progeny.