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Fig. 9 | Journal of Neuroinflammation

Fig. 9

From: Crosstalk between astrocytes and microglia results in increased degradation of α-synuclein and amyloid-β aggregates

Fig. 9

Microglia can attract and clear intracellular αSYN deposits from astrocytes via membrane contact. Time-lapse microscopy illustrated a complex interplay between astrocytes and microglia (a). Different time points of the regions of interest are shown in b and c. For b, the total duration from the first to last image is 10h and for c 11h. Astrocytes secreted large αSYN-containing vesicles (yellow star) that were ingested by microglia (b). Moreover, microglia were found to be in direct contact with astrocytes in ring-shaped areas (yellow star) encapsulated by astrocytic membrane (microglia 1) or attached to the cell membrane of this area (microglia 2) (c). Microglia were anchored to the astrocyte membrane via distinct protrusions (microglia 2 and 3) and often interacted with the astrocytes in the region where the most intracellular αSYN deposits were situated (microglia 4). During this interaction, the deposits appeared to decrease dramatically, indicating direct αSYN transmission followed by instant degradation. Scale bar= 10μm

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