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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Quantification of Global Histone Post Translational Modifications Using Intranuclear Flow Cytometry in Isolated Mouse Brain Microglia
Published on: September 15, 2023
Histone Modifications and Chromatin Landscapes in Microglial Function: Developmental Imprinting and
Xiao Li1, Rong-Liang Guo2, Zhao-Qian Teng1
1Human Organ Physiopathology Emulation System, State Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing, 100101, China.
Abstract:
Microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, rely on histone modifications and chromatin remodeling to sculpt their identity across the trajectory from development through aging. Recent studies have identified enhancer rewiring and metabolic-epigenetic coupling-exemplified by histone lactylation-as central drivers of microglial plasticity. Disruption of this regulatory balance drives the transition from homeostatic microglia toward disease-associated microglia (DAM) in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. This Review examines emerging concepts such as trained innate immunity, state-specific enhancer landscapes, and regional heterogeneity, and posits that epigenetic reprogramming is a central mechanism governing microglial functional transitions. These insights reveal promising therapeutic targets; however, a pressing prerequisite for clinical translation is to rigorously establish the causality of these epigenetic changes across diverse model systems, sexes, and brain regions.
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