Immortalized Microglia Modeling Service

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and play a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis, responding to injury, and modulating neuroinflammatory responses. Compared to primary microglia, immortalized microglia cell lines offer obvious advantages, such as easier maintenance and abundant availability due to their unrestricted proliferative capacity.

Creative Biolabs is dedicated to providing high-quality immortalized microglia models to study inflammatory response, cellular dysfunction, CNS development and homeostasis.

Mouse Microglia Cell Line BV2

The BV2 cell line was derived from murine brain tissue. Notably, BV2 cells retain many functional characteristics of primary microglia, making them a choice for studying inflammation and neuroprotection mechanisms. BV2 cell line is widely used to examine cytokine production, phagocytosis, and signaling pathways, enabling the exploration of various CNS diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Fig. 1 LPS-induced and Ibrutinib-treated proinflammatory cytokine mRNA levels were determined by RT-PCR in BV2 microglia cell line.1, 7

Fig. 2 Immunostaining shows the effect of Ibrutinib on pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia.1, 7

Mouse Microglia Cell Line N9

The N9 microglial cell line is another pivotal model, derived from the C57BL/6 mouse. Similar to BV2 cells, N9 cells exhibit the capability to produce and secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines after LPS stimulation, as well as the ability to phagocytose apoptotic cells and Aβ fibrils.

Fig. 3 Secreted cytokine levels upon LPS treatment with or without increasing concentrations of SFN in N9 cells.2, 7

Fig. 4 Representative images of flow cytometry show microglia phagocytosis of Aβ42 is decreased in N9.ApoE4 cells.3, 7

Human Microglia Cell Line HMC3

The Human Microglial Clone 3 (HMC3) cell line was immortalized from microglia cultures, and isolated from the brain of a patient. It provides a vital platform for examining human-specific microglial functions and responses. Compared with other clones, the HMC3 cells secreted higher levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6). With this cell line, researchers can better understand the inflammatory response and migration to develop anti-inflammatory agents.

Fig. 5 Expression levels of migration-related genes were analyzed by qRT-PCR in HMC3 cell cultures.4, 8

Fig. 6 Zymosan beads are taken up by the cells and emit red fluorescence upon undergoing phagocytosis by HMC3 cells.

Rat Microglia Cell Line HAPI

The highly aggressive proliferating immortalized (HAPI) cell line is derived from rat neonatal microglia. These cells exhibit key microglial characteristics, including phagocytosis and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. They are valuable for investigating neuroinflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, and immune signaling in the central nervous system, aiding in the development of therapeutic strategies.

Fig. 7 Cytokine mRNA and secretion levels in HAPI cells were assessed using qRT-PCR and ELISA, respectively.5, 7

Fig. 8 Cytokines or LPS + IFNγ alter the morphology of Rat HAPI microglial cells.6

Other Cell Lines

• Immortalized Human Microglia from Creative Biolabs
• Immortalized Mouse Microglia from Creative Biolabs
• Immortalized Rat Microglia from Creative Biolabs
• Green/Red Fluorescent Immortalized Human Microglia from Creative Biolabs

Fluorescent immortalized microglia refer to primary CNS microglia that have been transfected with GFP/RFP-lentiviral particles, allowing for visualization and tracking in various experimental settings.

References

1. Nam HY, Nam JH, Yoon G, et al. "Ibrutinib suppresses LPS-induced neuroinflammatory responses in BV2 microglial cells and wild-type mice" Neuroinflammation. 2018;15(1):271.
2. Eren, Erden et al. "Sulforaphane Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation, Cytotoxicity, Oxidative Stress, and miR-155 Expression and Switches to Mox Phenotype through Activating Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2-Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-Related Factor 2/Antioxidant Response Element Pathway in Murine Microglial Cells." Front Immunol. 2018;9:36.
3. Muth, Christiane et al. "Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells Is Specifically Upregulated in ApoE4 Expressing Microglia in vitro." Front Cell Neurosci, 2019;13:181.
4. Baek, Mina et al. "The BET inhibitor attenuates the inflammatory response and cell migration in human microglial HMC3 cell line." Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):8828.
5. Song, Ming-Yu et al. "Energy restriction induced SIRT6 inhibits microglia activation and promotes angiogenesis in cerebral ischemia via transcriptional inhibition of TXNIP." Cell Death Dis. 2022;13(5):449
6. Sheng, Wenwen et al. "Pro-inflammatory cytokines and lipopolysaccharide induce changes in cell morphology, and upregulation of ERK1/2, iNOS and sPLA₂-IIA expression in astrocytes and microglia." Neuroinflammation. 2011;8:121, used under CC BY 2.0. The original image was modified.
7. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0. The original image was modified.
8. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0 without modification.