{"title":"Ependymal cell lineage reprogramming as a potential therapeutic intervention for hydrocephalus.","authors":"Konstantina Kaplani, Maria-Eleni Lalioti, Styliani Vassalou, Georgia Lokka, Evangelia Parlapani, Georgios Kritikos, Zoi Lygerou, Stavros Taraviras","doi":"10.1038/s44321-024-00156-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hydrocephalus is a common neurological condition, characterized by the excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles. Primary treatments for hydrocephalus mainly involve neurosurgical cerebrospinal fluid diversion, which hold high morbidity and failure rates, highlighting the necessity for the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches. Although the pathophysiology of hydrocephalus is highly multifactorial, impaired function of the brain ependymal cells plays a fundamental role in hydrocephalus. Here we show that GemC1 and McIdas, key regulators of multiciliated ependymal cell fate determination, induce direct cellular reprogramming towards ependyma. Our study reveals that ectopic expression of GemC1 and McIdas reprograms cortical astrocytes and programs mouse embryonic stem cells into ependyma. McIdas is sufficient to establish functional activity in the reprogrammed astrocytes. Furthermore, we show that McIdas' expression promotes ependymal cell regeneration in two different postnatal hydrocephalus mouse models: an intracranial hemorrhage and a genetic form of hydrocephalus and ameliorates the cytoarchitecture of the neurogenic niche. Our study provides evidence on the restoration of ependyma in animal models mimicking hydrocephalus that could be exploited towards future therapeutic interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":11597,"journal":{"name":"EMBO Molecular Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":9.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"EMBO Molecular Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s44321-024-00156-5","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/10/28 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Hydrocephalus is a common neurological condition, characterized by the excessive accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles. Primary treatments for hydrocephalus mainly involve neurosurgical cerebrospinal fluid diversion, which hold high morbidity and failure rates, highlighting the necessity for the discovery of novel therapeutic approaches. Although the pathophysiology of hydrocephalus is highly multifactorial, impaired function of the brain ependymal cells plays a fundamental role in hydrocephalus. Here we show that GemC1 and McIdas, key regulators of multiciliated ependymal cell fate determination, induce direct cellular reprogramming towards ependyma. Our study reveals that ectopic expression of GemC1 and McIdas reprograms cortical astrocytes and programs mouse embryonic stem cells into ependyma. McIdas is sufficient to establish functional activity in the reprogrammed astrocytes. Furthermore, we show that McIdas' expression promotes ependymal cell regeneration in two different postnatal hydrocephalus mouse models: an intracranial hemorrhage and a genetic form of hydrocephalus and ameliorates the cytoarchitecture of the neurogenic niche. Our study provides evidence on the restoration of ependyma in animal models mimicking hydrocephalus that could be exploited towards future therapeutic interventions.
期刊介绍:
EMBO Molecular Medicine is an open access journal in the field of experimental medicine, dedicated to science at the interface between clinical research and basic life sciences. In addition to human data, we welcome original studies performed in cells and/or animals provided they demonstrate human disease relevance.
To enhance and better specify our commitment to precision medicine, we have expanded the scope of EMM and call for contributions in the following fields:
Environmental health and medicine, in particular studies in the field of environmental medicine in its functional and mechanistic aspects (exposome studies, toxicology, biomarkers, modeling, and intervention).
Clinical studies and case reports - Human clinical studies providing decisive clues how to control a given disease (epidemiological, pathophysiological, therapeutic, and vaccine studies). Case reports supporting hypothesis-driven research on the disease.
Biomedical technologies - Studies that present innovative materials, tools, devices, and technologies with direct translational potential and applicability (imaging technologies, drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, and AI)