Figure 4

Figure 4

Summary illustration. (A,B) Brain illustrations of control embryo (A) and tauopathic embryo (B). In the control embryo brain, microglial cells (green) display a highly ramified morphology, allowing them to scan the brain and monitor neighboring neurons (orange) and eliminate apoptotic ones (blue). However, in presence of hTau^P301L-expressing neurons (red), microglial cells (green) adopt an amoeboid morphology, that allows them to move faster throughout the brain in order to eliminate tauopathic neurons undergoing apoptosis (blue). In spite of an increased phagocytic rate of microglial cells in the tauopathic brain, there is a higher number of non-engulfed apoptotic neurons (blue), in comparison to the control brain; thus, suggesting a saturated phagocytic capacity of microglial in the tauopathic brain.