Neuron-glia crosstalk in health and disease: fractalkine and CX3CR1 take centre stage

Sheridan, Graham K.; Murphy, Keith J.

Abstract

An essential aspect of normal brain function is the bidirectional interaction and communication between neurons and neighbouring glial cells. To this end, the brain has evolved ligand-receptor partnerships that facilitate crosstalk between different cell types. The chemokine, fractalkine (FKN), is expressed on neuronal cells, and its receptor, CX3CR1, is predominantly expressed on microglia. This review focuses on several important functional roles for FKN/CX3CR1 in both health and disease of the central nervous system. It has been posited that FKN is involved in microglial infiltration of the brain during development. Microglia, in turn, are implicated in the developmental synaptic pruning that occurs during brain maturation. The abundance of FKN on mature hippocampal neurons suggests a homeostatic non-inflammatory role in mechanisms of learning and memory. There is substantial evidence describing a role for FKN in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. FKN, on the one hand, appears to prevent excess microgli l activation in the absence of injury while promoting activation of microglia and astrocytes during inflammatory episodes. Thus, FKN appears to be neuroprotective in some settings, whereas it contributes to neuronal damage in others. Many progressive neuroinflammatory disorders that are associated with increased microglial activation, such as Alzheimer's disease, show disruption of the FKN/CX3CR1 communication system. Thus, targeting CX3CR1 receptor hyperactivation with specific antagonists in such neuroinflammatory conditions may eventually lead to novel neurotherapeutics. © 2013 The Authors.

Citation

Sheridan, G. K., & Murphy, K. J. (2013). Neuron-glia crosstalk in health and disease: fractalkine and CX3CR1 take centre stage. Open Biology, 3(12), Article 130181. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.130181

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Nov 22, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Dec 1, 2013
• Publication Date: 2013-12
• Deposit Date: Aug 16, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 17, 2022
• Journal: Open Biology
• Electronic ISSN: 2046-2441
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: 130181
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.130181
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/10076689
• Publisher URL: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsob.130181