RNA sequencing-based gene expression analysis revealed significant differences between the transcriptional signatures of microglia derived from in vitro cultures and acutely isolated adult microglia. Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death triggered by the activation of caspases, which leads to the degradation of the cell's structural components and the release of pro-inflammatory molecules (Yu et al., 2021). ...it is not clear how to categorize these microglia, and there is no clear consensus about whether the term “dysfunctional microglia” refers to a specific subtype or is a general term that includes all of the aforementioned microglia. ...it is crucial to define microglial subpopulations and identify their precise functions to better understand various neurological diseases. While RNA serves as a template for protein synthesis, the final protein product can be altered post-translationally, generating diverse proteoforms and altering its function. ...changes in RNA levels do not always correlate with changes in protein levels or activity as shown by Mercurio et al..