The origin of microglia, the resident macrophage population of the CNS, has been a long-standing matter of debate. Here we discuss two seminal studies published in 2007 in Nature Neuroscience that significantly contributed to a better understanding of microglia ontogeny and homeostasis in the adult brain.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Microglial debris is cleared by astrocytes via C4b-facilitated phagocytosis and degraded via RUBICON-dependent noncanonical autophagy in mice
Nature Communications Open Access 24 October 2022
-
The role of neural stem cells in regulating glial scar formation and repair
Cell and Tissue Research Open Access 25 November 2021
-
The behavior and functions of embryonic microglia
Anatomical Science International Open Access 19 September 2021
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References
Low, D. & Ginhoux, F. Cell. Immunol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cellimm.2018.01.004 (2018).
Colonna, M. & Butovsky, O. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 35, 441–468 (2017).
Lawson, L. J., Perry, V. H., Dri, P. & Gordon, S. Neuroscience 39, 151–170 (1990).
Alliot, F., Lecain, E., Grima, B. & Pessac, B. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 88, 1541–1545 (1991).
Ginhoux, F., Lim, S., Hoeffel, G., Low, D. & Huber, T. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 7, 45 (2013).
Ajami, B., Bennett, J. L., Krieger, C., Tetzlaff, W. & Rossi, F. M. Nat. Neurosci. 10, 1538–1543 (2007).
Mildner, A. et al. Nat. Neurosci. 10, 1544–1553 (2007).
Ginhoux, F. et al. Science 330, 841–845 (2010).
Graeber, M. B. et al. Brain Res. 813, 241–253 (1998).
Linard, C. et al. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 58, 427–434 (2004).
François, S. et al. Stem Cells 24, 1020–1029 (2006).
Ajami, B., Bennett, J. L., Krieger, C., McNagny, K. M. & Rossi, F. M. Nat. Neurosci. 14, 1142–1149 (2011).
Hoeffel, G. et al. Immunity 42, 665–678 (2015).
Waisman, A., Ginhoux, F., Greter, M. & Bruttger, J. Trends Immunol. 36, 625–636 (2015).
Cronk, J. C. et al. J. Exp. Med. 215, 1627 (2018).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ginhoux, F., Garel, S. The mysterious origins of microglia. Nat Neurosci 21, 897–899 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-018-0176-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-018-0176-3
This article is cited by
-
Cell-type-resolved mosaicism reveals clonal dynamics of the human forebrain
Nature (2024)
-
Microglial over-pruning of synapses during development in autism-associated SCN2A-deficient mice and human cerebral organoids
Molecular Psychiatry (2024)
-
Microglial debris is cleared by astrocytes via C4b-facilitated phagocytosis and degraded via RUBICON-dependent noncanonical autophagy in mice
Nature Communications (2022)
-
The role of neural stem cells in regulating glial scar formation and repair
Cell and Tissue Research (2022)
-
The behavior and functions of embryonic microglia
Anatomical Science International (2022)