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SUMMARY Endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) complex proteins regulate biogenesis and release of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which enable cell-to-cell communication in the nervous system essential for development and adult function. We recently showed human loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in ESCRT-III member CHMP1A cause autosomal recessive microcephaly with pontocerebellar hypoplasia, but its mechanism was unclear. Here, we show Chmp1a is required for progenitor proliferation in mouse cortex and cerebellum and progenitor maintenance in human cerebral organoids. In Chmp1a null mice, this defect is associated with impaired sonic hedgehog (Shh) secretion and intraluminal vesicle (ILV) formation in multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Furthermore, we show CHMP1A is important for release of an EV subtype that contains AXL, RAB18, and TMED10 (ART) and SHH. Our findings show CHMP1A loss impairs secretion of SHH on ART-EVs, providing molecular mechanistic insights into the role of ESCRT proteins and EVs in the brain., Graphical Abstract, In Brief Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are essential for cell-to-cell communication in developing brain. Coulter et al. show that the human microcephaly gene CHMP1A is required for neuroprogenitor proliferation through regulation of vesicular secretion of the growth factor sonic hedgehog (SHH). CHMP1A specifically impairs SHH secretion on a distinctive EV subtype, ART-EV.

International audience; Inter-animal signaling from irradiated to non-irradiated organisms has been demonstrated for whole body irradiated mice and also for fish. The aim of the current study was to look at radiotherapy style limited exposure to part of the body using doses relevant in preclinical therapy. High dose homogenous field irradiation and the use of irradiation in the microbeam radiation therapy mode at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) at Grenoble was tested by giving high doses to the right brain hemisphere of the rat. The right and left cerebral hemispheres and the urinary bladder were later removed to determine whether abscopal effects could be produced in the animals and also whether effects occurred in cage mates housed with them. The results show strong bystander signal production in the contra-lateral brain hemisphere and weaker effects in the distant bladder of the irradiated rats. Signal strength was similar or greater in each tissue in the cage mates housed for 48hrs with the irradiated rats. Our results support the hypothesis that proximity to an irradiated animal induces signalling changes in an unirradiated partner. If similar signaling occurs between humans, the results could have implications for caregivers and hospital staff treating radiotherapy patients

International audience; Introduction. At the biomedical beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), we have established a method to study pencilbeam irradiation in-vivo in small animal models. The pencilbeam irradiation technique is based on the principle of microbeam irradiation, a concept of spatially fractionated high-dose irradiation. Using gamma H2AX as marker, we followed the development of DNA double strand breaks over 48 hrs after whole brain irradiation with the pencilbeam technique. Method. Almost square pencilbeams with an individual size of 51 x 50 mu m were produced with an MSC collimator using a step and shoot approach, while the animals were moved vertically through the beam. The center-to-center distance (ctc) was 400 mu m, with a peak-to-valley dose ratio (PVDR) of about 400. Five groups of healthy adult mice received peak irradiation doses of either 330 Gy or 2,460 Gy and valley doses of 0.82 Gy and 6.15 Gy, respectively. Animals were sacrificed at 2, 12 and 48 hrs after irradiation. Results. DNA double strand breaks are observed in the path of the pencilbeam. The size of the damaged volume undergoes changes within the first 48 hours after irradiation. Conclusions. The extent of DNA damage caused by pencilbeam irradiation, as assessed by H2AX antibody staining, is dose-dependent