Mouse IgG1 Isotype Control Antibody (CAT#: MOB-065CQ)

Tzioras, Makis, et al. "Human astrocytes and microglia show augmented ingestion of synapses in Alzheimer's disease via MFG-E8." Cell Reports Medicine 4.9 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101175

This research investigates the role of astrocytes and microglia in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, specifically examining how these glial cells contribute to synapse loss. The study demonstrates that both astrocytes and microglia from human AD brains contain significantly higher amounts of synaptic protein compared to control brains, indicating increased synapse ingestion. This enhanced phagocytosis is exacerbated near amyloid-β plaques and in individuals carrying the APOE4 risk gene. Using in vitro models, the researchers show that mouse and human glial cells preferentially phagocytose synapses derived from AD patients compared to control synapses. Importantly, they identify milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (MFG-E8) as a key molecular mechanism facilitating this process, showing that blocking MFG-E8 interactions rescues the elevated engulfment of AD synapses without affecting normal synapse uptake.
Creative Biolabs provided the recombinant mouse anti-human MFG-E8 blocking antibody (Mc3, CAT#: FAMAB-0225CQ-LowE) and the mouse IgG1 isotype control antibody (CAT#: MOB-065CQ) for this study. These antibodies were crucial for demonstrating the specific role of MFG-E8 in mediating synaptic phagocytosis, as pre-treatment with the anti-MFG-E8 antibody significantly reduced the ingestion of AD-derived synapses by both astrocytes and microglia. This finding represents a potential therapeutic approach, suggesting that targeting the MFG-E8 pathway could protect synapses from excessive glial engulfment in AD while preserving normal phagocytic functions.