Thrilled to share our new paper in @CellCellPress: “Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling” This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and cooperation. https://t.co/roG9LUmrkp Faust et al., Cell 2025 #Neuroscience #Glia

A study by Dorothy P. Schafer, PhD, and Travis E. Faust, PhD, published in @CellCellPress explains how different cell types in the brain communicate in response to changes in sensory input to the connections between neurons: https://t.co/4eysDrOFXm @SchaferLabUMass @TravisFaust2

Now online! Microglia-astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling

🙏 Thanks to my mentor @SchaferLabUMass, collaborators @c_eroglu, Pinar Ayata, and @lab_schaefer, and to all my amazing co-authors. Proud to do this work at @UmassChan and @NeurobioUMass. 💡 Excited to see where glial biology goes next!

🔮 Open questions ahead: What happens when astrocytes change how much they touch synapses in development, sleep, aging, or disease? Does reduced astrocyte contact generally make synapses easier for microglia to remove? How do microglia remove less-contacted synapses?

We show that astrocytic Wnt signaling is also seen in: 💤 Sleep ⏳ Aging ⚡ Seizures 🧠 Alzheimer’s disease In these contexts, changes in astrocyte morphology & synapse loss have been reported, suggesting this pathway may be shared across brain states & disorders.

To reveal this pathway we combined: 🧠 A cortical circuit model of activity-driven synapse loss 🔍 Expansion microscopy to map astrocyte–synapse contacts 🧬 TRAP-Seq + MERFISH to identify microglial Wnts ✂️ CreER/loxP knockouts to test microglia- and astrocyte-specific signaling

After sensory deprivation: ⚡ Neurons signal to microglia via CX3CL1–CX3CR1 🔁 Microglia release Wnts, inducing astrocytes to reduce synaptic contact 🧹 Reduced astrocyte–synapse contact allows microglia to remove synapses Our prior work on CX3CL1–CX3CR1:

🧩 Microglia and astrocytes both engulf synapses. But their respective roles — and whether they act independently, redundantly, or in cooperation — has been unclear. How do neurons, microglia, and astrocytes work together during synapse remodeling?

Faust, Brenner et al. @BrighamWomens @harvardmed show that type I IFN signaling contributes to #arthritis pathogenesis in obesity through activation and expansion of CD8 T cells in visceral adipose tissue and synovium. https://t.co/tbNc8Fb1GV #Autoimmunity

Now available on YouTube:

Have you ever wondered how homeostasis is maintained in human synovial tissue? Read our paper describing how fat helps maintain homeostasis through the activation of cortisol! This circuit is disrupted in arthritis, leading to fibroblast dysfunction:

Come join us this Thursday for a virtual Science Cafe! Open to everyone - no science background required. @patwsheehan and I will discuss how glial cells ⭐️💥 shape our brains 🧠 - research taking place in the Schafer Lab @SchaferLabUMass at UMass Chan @NeurobioUMass @UMassChan

Please RT: We are hiring! Apply to join the exciting research going on @DukeCellBiology!

Going to @SfNtweets #SfN2024 in Chicago? Come to our GLIA+NEUROIMMUNE social MON 10/07! @stevens1lab & I will be there, along with @SchaferLabUMass, @KlausNave, @Harwell_Lab, @rolls_asya, @jonykipnis, @michael_heneka, @ErinMGibson. rumors of @Dr_Oligo's 2024 afterparty are true!

📢Glia trainees! Applications for the #GliaGRS are open! Please spread the word and submit your abstract early since it usually oversubscribes. @MartinaChiacch2 and I are very excited to see you all there!

🚨 Neuroscience job alert!! UVA Biology is hiring multiple TT faculty in Neuroscience (circuitry, glia, behavioral genetics, etc.). If you're looking for a vibrant scientific community with wonderful colleagues then check it out! Please share/rt! https://t.co/FnLdrRjLzp

The University of Notre Dame is hiring a cluster of 5 new Assistant Professors in Neuroscience starting this year, focused on cellular, molecular, or computational neurobiology. Come be a colleague! More information here: https://t.co/oJhPhoBbyd Please share and retweet!

@jacobmstillman killing it @cshlmeetings #cshlglia. Great talk Jacob!

Happy to share our lab’s recent review in Current Opinion Neurobiology on “Microglial phagocytic mechanisms: Development informing disease”. Special Thanks to @becca_beiter and @patwsheehan in the lab @NeurobioUMass for their hard work on this piece: https://t.co/Z5WQWUNuNS