To Examine Roles of Sall1 Gene in Microglia in Early Brain Development
Microglia are the main resident macrophages of central nervous system and play roles in immune activities, homeostasis, and development in adult brains. Many studies also indicate that aberrant functions of microglia can contribute to neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, how microglia regulate neurogenesis and neuronal migration in the embryonic brain remains unknown. The goal in this research project was to investigate the role of SALL1, a transcription factor that is expressed in microglia and is known to be required for the maintenance of homeostatic roles of adult microglia, in early brain development. For this purpose, I analyzed the cerebral cortex of mice in which the Sall1 gene is knocked out by conditional gene targeting specific to microglia. I examined the number and distribution of microglia and specific types of neurons in late embryonic brains by immunohistochemistry. Although this study is still ongoing, current data has not shown strong effects of removing Sall1 gene from microglia in embryonic cerebral cortex.