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Fibronectin stimulates Escherichia coli phagocytosis by microglial cells

Sandra Ribes1, Sandra Ebert, Tommy Regen

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Strasse 40, Göttingen, Germany. sribes@med.uni-goettingen.de

Glia
|September 26, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Fibronectin activates microglia, enhancing their inflammatory and phagocytic responses. It synergizes with certain Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, impacting immune cell function.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Cellular and Molecular Immunology

Background:

  • Microglia, the brain's immune cells, express Toll-like receptors (TLRs) that detect pathogens and endogenous molecules.
  • Fibronectin, an extracellular matrix protein, can be recognized by microglia under non-ideal conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of fibronectin on microglial functions, including cytokine/chemokine secretion and phagocytosis.
  • To explore the synergistic interactions between fibronectin and microbial Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists.

Main Methods:

  • Murine microglia were cultured and stimulated with varying concentrations of fibronectin.
  • Co-stimulation experiments involved fibronectin with agonists for TLR1/2, TLR9, and TLR4 (LPS).
  • Proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine release and phagocytosis of Escherichia coli were measured.

Main Results:

  • Fibronectin dose-dependently stimulated microglia, increasing proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine secretion and phagocytosis of E. coli.
  • Low fibronectin levels synergized with TLR1/2 and TLR9 agonists but not TLR4 agonists.
  • High fibronectin concentrations moderately enhanced phagocytosis when combined with pathogen-derived TLR agonists.

Conclusions:

  • Fibronectin enhances both proinflammatory and phagocytotic functions of microglia.
  • Fibronectin exhibits partial synergy with microbial TLR agonists, modulating microglial responses.

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