Expression of MEGF10 in cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons.

Multiple-EGF like domains 10 (MEGF10) is the mammalian homologue of Draper, a Drosophila phagocytosis receptor that plays an important role in synapse elimination and cell type-specific recognition. However, the expression and function of MEGF10 in the brain remain to be elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the regions and types of neurons that express MEGF10 in the brain, and to determine whether cells expressing MEGF10 possess phagocytic abilities. Our results indicated that MEGF10 is expressed in cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons of the cortex, hippocampus, and substantia nigra. Furthermore, the ratio of neurons expressing MEGF10 was higher in the cortex and hippocampus of hAPP transgenic mice than in those of wild-type mice. Phagocytic activity was also observed in neuronal cells expressing MEGF10. Thus, our results indicate that MEGF10 may be responsible for phagocytic activity targeted toward unwanted substances such as amyloid in cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons.