Fig. 1

The contribution of microglia and astrocytes in Huntington's disease (HD). Various stimulatory molecules stimulate surveillance microglias to proliferate through NFkB signaling, which promotes the upregulation of PU1 (as a transcription factor that regulates hematopoiesis and macrophage differentiation) and CCAT binding. Several molecular processes can cause the death of neurons when activated microglia and reactive astrocytes produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and neurotoxic molecules (such as quinolinic acid). Note that stimulatory molecules induce reactive astrogliosis, which results in the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production, glutamate excitotoxicity, and hyperexcitability of neurons. Image created in BioRender.com