CB2 expression in mouse brain: from mapping to regulation in microglia under inflammatory conditions.

Since its detection in the brain, the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2) has been considered a promising therapeutic target for various neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, precise brain mapping of its expression is still lacking. Using magnetic cell sorting, calibrated RT-qPCR and single-nucleus RNAseq, we show that CB2 is expressed at a low level in all brain regions studied, mainly by few microglial cells, and by neurons in an even lower proportion.

Amyloid β Induces Lipid Droplet-Mediated Microglial Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease.

Several microglia-expressed genes have emerged as top risk variants for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Impaired microglial phagocytosis is one of the main proposed outcomes by which these AD-risk genes may contribute to neurodegeneration, but the mechanisms translating genetic association to cellular dysfunction remain unknown. Here we show that microglia form lipid droplets (LDs) upon exposure to amyloid-beta (Aβ), and that their LD load increases with proximity to amyloid plaques in brains from human patients and the AD mouse model 5xFAD.