Mitochondria are absent from microglial processes performing surveillance, chemotaxis, and phagocytic engulfment
Alicia N Pietramale, Xhoela Bame, Megan E Doty, Kiera E Schwarz, Robert A Hill · 2025
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Description
Pietramale and four co-authors reported in twenty twenty-five that the working arms of microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, often lack mitochondria. Microglia constantly patrol the brain for damage or infection. Mitochondria supply cell energy, yet how they are placed inside microglia was unknown.
Using live imaging in mice and fine structural study in mouse and human tissue, the team found uneven placement. Some cell arms held several mitochondria, while others held none. The arms doing minute-to-minute watching usually had none. Arms rushing toward a lesion or first touching a dying neuron also lacked them. Mitochondria arrived later instead. Support structures and a metabolic enzyme followed the same pattern, suggesting tight links in how these cells organize energy.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Alicia N Pietramale, Xhoela Bame, Megan E Doty, Kiera E Schwarz, Robert A Hill |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 83 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |