Transcriptional Regulation of Microglial Metabolic and Activation States by P2RY12

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the CNS. Under homeostatic conditions, microglia play critical roles in orchestrating synaptic pruning, debris clearance, and dead cell removal. In disease, they are powerful mediators of neuroinflammation, as they rapidly respond to injury or infection within the CNS by altering their morphology, proliferating, and releasing cytokines and other signaling molecules. Understanding the molecular pathways involved in microglial function is pivotal for advancing neurobiological research and developing effective strategies for CNS disorders. In this context, P2RY12 is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is uniquely enriched in microglia in the parenchyma and a canonical marker of homeostatic, ramified microglia. However, P2RY12 is downregulated in activated microglia and in neurological conditions. The consequences of P2RY12 downregulation in disease-associated microglia and how they influence microglial activation remain poorly understood. In this study, we apply transcriptional and histological methods to explore the changes to microglia upon a genetic P2RY12 loss. Our findings reveal that P2RY12-deficient microglia experience alterations in distinct metabolic pathways while preserving overall homeostatic microglial transcriptional identity. Lack of P2RY12 alters signature genes involved in homeostatic iron metabolism. Importantly, the genes encoding proteins in the Glutathione Peroxidase 4 (Gpx4)-Glutathione (GSH) antioxidant pathway related to ferroptosis susceptibility are impaired upon microglial activation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. These results highlight the critical role of P2RY12 in regulating microglial immune and metabolic transcriptional responses under both homeostatic and inflammatory conditions, providing insights into its involvement in CNS pathophysiology.