Microglial morphology can indicate functional states in aging and age-related diseases, yet subcellular transcriptional organization remains poorly understood. Combining multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH) with fluorescent immunohistochemistry, Henze et al. demonstrate that subcellular localization patterns of transcripts in microglia uncover age-associated morphological alterations, which emphasizes the intricate cellular remodeling that underlies brain aging processes and functional diversity.
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Acknowledgements
We thank all members of the Erny group for critical and constructive data discussions. D.E. is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany, Project-ID 259373024 – TRR 167 and project number 491676693 – TRR 359. D.E. was further supported by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung and Ministry of Science, Research and Arts, Baden-Wuerttemberg under the aegis of JPND.
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Schaible, P., Erny, D. Subcellular orchestration of microglial aging. Nat Aging (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-026-01109-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-026-01109-y
