Microglia perform multiple tasks that are essential to ensure proper cerebral functions, including synaptic remodeling, clearance of molecular debris, prevention of infections, and so forth. Furthermore, accumulating genetic and pathological evidence implicates microglial cell activity in the etiology of numerous neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Given this, efforts aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying microglial cell functions hold great potential for the development of novel therapies for various conditions affecting the central nervous system. In that regard, the application of paradigms in epigenomics to study transcription in microglia has provided significant insights into the molecular mechanisms that control the ontogeny and functions of these cells. With a focus on the roles of genomic regulatory elements and the epigenetic marks that control microglial gene expression, we review here recent key advancements in our comprehension of the epigenomic and transcriptional mechanisms that enable microglial cell development and activity.

中文翻译：

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小胶质细胞身份的表观基因组和转录决定因素。

小胶质细胞执行多项对确保正常大脑功能至关重要的任务，包括突触重塑、清除分子碎片、预防感染等。此外，越来越多的遗传和病理证据表明小胶质细胞活性与许多神经退行性疾病和精神疾病的病因有关。鉴于此，旨在了解小胶质细胞功能的分子机制的努力对于开发针对影响中枢神经系统的各种疾病的新疗法具有巨大潜力。在这方面，在表观基因组学中应用范式来研究小胶质细胞的转录，为控制这些细胞的个体发育和功能的分子机制提供了重要的见解。