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The insulin receptor (INSR) is an evolutionarily conserved signaling protein that regulates development and cellular metabolism. INSR signaling promotes neurogenesis in Drosophila; however, a specific role for the INSR in maintaining adult neural stem cells (NSCs) in mammals has not been investigated. We show that conditionally deleting the Insr gene in adult mouse NSCs reduces subventricular zone NSCs by ∼70% accompanied by a corresponding increase in progenitors. Insr deletion also produced hyposmia caused by aberrant olfactory bulb neurogenesis. Interestingly, hippocampal neurogenesis and hippocampal-dependent behaviors were unperturbed. Highly aggressive proneural and mesenchymal glioblastomas had high INSR/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway gene expression, and isolated glioma stem cells had an aberrantly high ratio of INSR:IGF type 1 receptor. Moreover, INSR knockdown inhibited GBM tumorsphere growth. Altogether, these data demonstrate that the INSR is essential for a subset of normal NSCs, as well as for brain tumor stem cell self-renewal.

Both monogenic diseases and viral infections can manifest in a broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes that range from asymptomatic to lethal, suggesting that other factors modulate disease severity. Here, we examine the interplay between the genetic neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease (nGD), and neuroinvasive Sindbis virus (SVNI) infection. Infection of nGD mice with SVNI had no influence on nGD severity. However, nGD mice were more resistant to SVNI infection. Significantly different inflammatory responses were seen in nGD brains when compared with SVNI brains: the inflammatory response in the nGD brains consisted of reactive astrocytes and microglia with no infiltrating macrophages, but the inflammatory response in the brains of SVNI-infected mice was characterized by infiltration of macrophages and altered activation of microglia and astrocytes. We suggest that the innate immune response activated in nGD confers resistance against viral infection of the CNS. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40478-020-01020-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

SummaryThe insulin receptor (IR) is an evolutionarily conserved signaling protein that regulates development and cellular metabolism. IR signaling regulates neurogenesis in Drosophila; however, a specific role for the IR in maintaining adult neural stem cells (NSCs) in mammals has not been investigated. We show that conditionally deleting the IR reduces adult NSCs of the subventricular zone by ∼70% accompanied by a corresponding increase in progenitors. IR deletion produced hyposmia due to aberrant olfactory bulb neurogenesis. Interestingly, hippocampal neurogenesis was not perturbed nor were hippocampal dependent behaviors. Highly aggressive proneural and mesenchymal glioblastomas (GBMs) had high IR/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway gene expression, and isolated glioma stem cells had an aberrantly high ratio of IR:IGF1R receptors. Moreover, IR knockdown inhibited proneural and mesenchymal GBM tumorsphere growth. Altogether, these data demonstrate that the IR is essential for a subset of normal NSCs as well as for brain tumor cancer stem cell self-renewal.

Currently, there is no widely accepted technique to efficiently and reproducibly grow stem and progenitor cells in vitro. Stem cells require contact with extracellular matrices as well as signals from growth factors to proliferate and to retain their stemness. We have shown a novel tissue culture platform (StemTrix cultureware) that transforms standard tissue culture plasticware into a multi-functional chitosan-based scaffold that supports the expansion of neural stem cells. The StemTrix scaffold is comprised of chitosan with immobilized heparin which in turn tethers heparin-binding growth factors. The scaffold is also coated with an adhesive ECM protein. Here we demonstrate that fibronectin or the RGD peptide contained in fibronectin are equally effective in promoting the adhesion, viability and growth of rat and human neural stem cells. When FGF-2 and heparin-binding EGF are tethered to the StemTrix cultureware neural stem cells grow ∼3 times faster and remain in a more primitive state as determined by both Western Blot and gene expression analyses. Another important feature of this new culture platform is that the NSCs remain in a primitive and proliferative state for 4days without refreshing the culture medium or providing new growth factors, which represents a 20-fold extension of FGF-2's biological activity vs when it is freely soluble in the medium. To test the utility of this scaffold for propagating other types of stem cells and progenitors we tethered platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and FGF-2 alone and in combination to the scaffold and tested the efficacy of this platform to maintain primary oligodendrocyte progenitors or the CG-4 cell line in a primitive state. Oligodendrocyte progenitors plated onto this multifunctional film proliferated for at least 3days without providing soluble growth factors while inhibiting the expression of the differentiation marker myelin-basic protein. Oligodendrocyte progenitors proliferated 3 times more rapidly than cells maintained on fibronectin-coated culture substrates in culture medium supplemented with soluble FGF-2 and PDGF. Finally, we show that StemTrix cultureware can be produced using clinical grade components, providing users with a fully defined platform suitable for clinical use that maintains stem cells or progenitors in a more uniform and primitive state.

Ablation of the mitochondrial protein Efhd1 in mice interferes with normal development of sensory axons and results in mitochondrial dysfunction associated with activation of cellular stress pathways., During development, neurons adjust their energy balance to meet the high demands of robust axonal growth and branching. The mechanisms that regulate this tuning are largely unknown. Here, we show that sensory neurons lacking liver kinase B1 (Lkb1), a master regulator of energy homeostasis, exhibit impaired axonal growth and branching. Biochemical analysis of these neurons revealed reduction in axonal ATP levels, whereas transcriptome analysis uncovered down-regulation of Efhd1 (EF-hand domain family member D1), a mitochondrial Ca2+-binding protein. Genetic ablation of Efhd1 in mice resulted in reduced axonal morphogenesis as well as enhanced neuronal death. Strikingly, this ablation causes mitochondrial dysfunction and a decrease in axonal ATP levels. Moreover, Efhd1 KO sensory neurons display shortened mitochondria at the axonal growth cones, activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)–Ulk (Unc-51–like autophagy-activating kinase 1) pathway and an increase in autophagic flux. Overall, this work uncovers a new mitochondrial regulator that is required for axonal morphogenesis.

The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) can regulate multiple cellular functions including proliferation, survival, and apoptotic cell death. The p75NTR is widely expressed in the developing brain and is downregulated as the nervous system matures, with only a few neuronal subpopulations retaining expression into adulthood. However, p75NTR expression is induced following damage to the adult brain, including after traumatic brain injury, which is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. A major consequence of traumatic brain injury is the progressive neuronal loss that continues secondary to the initial trauma, which ultimately contributes to cognitive decline. Understanding mechanisms governing this progressive neuronal death is key to developing targeted therapeutic strategies to provide neuroprotection and salvage cognitive function. In this study, we demonstrate that a cortical impact injury to the sensorimotor cortex elicits p75NTR expression in apoptotic neurons in the injury penumbra, confirming previous studies. To establish whether preventing p75NTR induction or blocking the ligands would reduce the extent of secondary neuronal cell death, we used a noninvasive intranasal strategy to deliver either siRNA to block the induction of p75NTR, or function-blocking antibodies to the ligands pro-nerve growth factor and pro-brain-derived neurotrophic factor. We demonstrate that either preventing the induction of p75NTR or blocking the proneurotrophin ligands provides neuroprotection and preserves sensorimotor function.

There is intense interest and effort toward regenerating the brain after severe injury. Stem cell transplantation after insult to the central nervous system has been regarded as the most promising approach for repair; however, engrafting cells alone might not be sufficient for effective regeneration. In this study, we have compared neural progenitors (NPs) from the fetal ventricular zone (VZ), the postnatal subventricular zone, and an immortalized radial glia (RG) cell line engineered to conditionally secrete the trophic factor insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Upon differentiation in vitro, the VZ cells were able to generate a greater number of neurons than subventricular zone cells. Furthermore, differentiated VZ cells generated pyramidal neurons . In vitro, doxycycline-driven secretion of IGF-1 strongly promoted neuronal differentiation of cells with hippocampal, interneuron and cortical specificity. Accordingly, VZ and engineered RG-IGF-1-hemagglutinin (HA) cells were selected for subsequent in vivo experiments. To increase cell survival, we delivered the NPs attached to a multifunctional chitosan-based scaffold. The microspheres containing adherent NPs were injected subacutely into the lesion cavity of adult rat brains that had sustained controlled cortical impact injury. At 2 weeks posttransplantation, the exogenously introduced cells showed a reduction in stem cell or progenitor markers and acquired mature neuronal and glial markers. In beam walking tests assessing sensorimotor recovery, transplanted RG cells secreting IGF-1 contributed significantly to functional improvement while native VZ or RG cells did not promote significant recovery. Altogether, these results support the therapeutic potential of chitosan-based multifunctional microsphere scaffolds seeded with genetically modified NPs expressing IGF-1 to promote repair and functional recovery after traumatic brain injuries.