Resumen: Microglia are the brain professional macrophages and they efficiently remove dead cells and other forms of cell debris, both during development and in pathological conditions. But what happens to microglia after engulfing and degrading apoptotic cells? In this talk, I will argue that phagocytosis is not a dead-end process but rather the begging of a new life for microglia. I will discuss that the events triggered in microglia by phagocytosis have an impact on the surrounding tissue, using as a model the adult neurogenic cascade, where microglia engulfs the excess of newborn cells. We are currently learning how phagocytosis affects microglial metabolism, transcription, and cell function, with the goal of developing pharmacological approaches to harness microglial phagocytosis in the diseased brain.

Bio: Amanda Sierra graduated in Biology at the Complutense University in Madrid, Spain, and then she obtained her PhD in Neuroscience in 2003 at the Cajal Institute, also in Madrid. She moved to the USA for her postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University and Stony Brook University in New York, and then at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Since 2011, she is a Research Professor of the Ikerbasque Foundation and the head of the Glial Cell Biology Lab at the Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience in the Basque Country, Spain. Her research is focused in understanding the role of microglial phagocytosis in health and disease.

Fecha y Hora: viernes 26 de noviembre. 12:30 horas.

Lugar: Seminario IV