Cited by 194Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsPharmacological Receptor Mechanisms and EffectsMedical Imaging Techniques and Applications

Pro-inflammatory activation of primary microglia and macrophages increases 18 kDa translocator protein expression in rodents but not humans

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Owen, David R, Narayan, Nehal, Wells, Lisa, Healy, Luke, Smyth, Erica, Rabiner, Eugenii A, Galloway, Dylan, Williams, John B +8 more·2017·Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism

Abstract

The 18kDa Translocator Protein (TSPO) is the most commonly used tissue-specific marker of inflammation in positron emission tomography (PET) studies. It is expressed in myeloid cells such as microglia and macrophages, and in rodent myeloid cells expression increases with cellular activation. We assessed the effect of myeloid cell activation on TSPO gene expression in both primary human and rodent microglia and macrophages in vitro, and also measured TSPO radioligand binding with 3 H-PBR28 in primary human macrophages. As observed previously, we found that TSPO expression increases (∼9-fold) in rodent-derived macrophages and microglia upon pro-inflammatory stimulation. However, TSPO expression does not increase with classical pro-inflammatory activation in primary human microglia (fold change 0.85 [95% CI 0.58–1.12], p = 0.47). In contrast, pro-inflammatory activation of human monocyte-derived macrophages is associated with a reduction of both TSPO gene expression (fold change 0.60 [95% CI 0.45–0.74], p = 0.02) and TSPO binding site abundance (fold change 0.61 [95% CI 0.49–0.73], p < 0.0001). These findings have important implications for understanding the biology of TSPO in activated macrophages and microglia in humans. They are also clinically relevant for the interpretation of PET studies using TSPO targeting radioligands, as they suggest changes in TSPO expression may reflect microglial and macrophage density rather than activation phenotype.

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  • In vitro, TSPO gene and protein expression and TSPO radioligand binding increases in rodent microglia and macrophages with inflammatory stimulation.

    “Recently, we have shown in vitro that, although TSPO gene and protein expression and TSPO radioligand binding increases in rodent microglia and macrophages with inflammatory stimulation, relative TSPO gene expression in human microglia and TSPO ligand binding in human monocyte-derived macrophages are reduced with pro-inflammatory activation (Owen et al., 2017).”

    From A quantitative neuropathological assessment of translocator protein expression in multiple sclerosis (2019) · cites this paper as Owen et al., 2017

    The Results section reports approximately ninefold increases in TSPO gene expression in stimulated rodent microglia and macrophages. The Introduction and Discussion also report increased TSPO protein expression in activated rodent myeloid cells. But the paper describes radioligand-binding measurements in human macrophages, not an increase in binding in rodent cells. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Relative TSPO gene expression in human microglia and TSPO ligand binding in human monocyte-derived macrophages are reduced with pro-inflammatory activation.

    “Recently, we have shown in vitro that, although TSPO gene and protein expression and TSPO radioligand binding increases in rodent microglia and macrophages with inflammatory stimulation, relative TSPO gene expression in human microglia and TSPO ligand binding in human monocyte-derived macrophages are reduced with pro-inflammatory activation (Owen et al., 2017).”

    From A quantitative neuropathological assessment of translocator protein expression in multiple sclerosis (2019) · cites this paper as Owen et al., 2017

    The Discussion reports an approximately 40% reduction in TSPO radioligand binding in human macrophages after pro-inflammatory activation. The Results section on primary human microglia reports no significant reduction in TSPO gene expression: the adult estimate was 0.85-fold with a confidence interval spanning no change, and the foetal estimate was 1.63-fold. Page numbers are not provided in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In humans, TSPO is not upregulated in either pro-inflammatory macrophages or primary microglia.

    “However, in humans, TSPO is not upregulated in either pro-inflammatory macrophages (Narayan et al., 2017) or primary microglia (Owen et al., 2017).”
  • The TSPO expression signal does not distinguish between microglial phenotypes in human tissue.

    “This new observation thus confirms in vitro data suggesting that the TSPO expression signal does not distinguish between microglial phenotypes in human tissue (Owen et al., 2017).”

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Authors
Owen, D. R., Narayan, N., Wells, L., Healy, L., Smyth, E., Rabiner, E. A., Galloway, D., Williams, J. B., Lehr, J., Mandhair, H., Peferoen, L. A., Taylor, P. C., Amor, S., Antel, J. P., Matthews, P. M., & Moore, C. S.
Affiliations
  • Hammersmith Hospital (GB)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (CA)
  • King's College London (GB)
  • Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA)
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
  • Queen Mary University of London (GB)
Corresponding author
Owen, David R
Venue
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism
Published
2017-05-22
Volume
37
Issue
8
Pages
2679-2690
ISSN
  • 0271-678X (ISSN-L)
  • 1559-7016
OpenAlex
W2619298813
Cited by
194
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 5
FWCI
10.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (publishedVersion)
  • Pure Amsterdam UMC (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research (NF-SI-0514-10022)
  • Multiple Sclerosis Society
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Medical Research Council (MR/N008219/1, MR/N026934/1)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Pharmacological Receptor Mechanisms and Effects
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Medical Imaging Techniques and Applications
Keywords
TSPO, microglia, macrophages, pro-inflammatory activation, myeloid cell activation, monocyte-derived macrophages
MeSH terms
Acetamides, Adult, Animals, Brain, Cells, Cultured, Humans, Interferon-gamma, Lipopolysaccharides, Macrophages, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Middle Aged, Protein Binding, Pyridines, Species Specificity, Gene Expression, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor, Microglia, Receptors, GABA, Myeloid Cells, Young Adult

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