RRC ID 81305
Author Irie T, Matsuda T, Hayashi Y, Matsuda-Ito K, Kamiya A, Masuda T, Prinz M, Isobe N, Kira JI, Nakashima K.
Title Direct neuronal conversion of microglia/macrophages reinstates neurological function after stroke.
Journal Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
Abstract Although generating new neurons in the ischemic injured brain would be an ideal approach to replenish the lost neurons for repairing the damage, the adult mammalian brain retains only limited neurogenic capability. Here, we show that direct conversion of microglia/macrophages into neurons in the brain has great potential as a therapeutic strategy for ischemic brain injury. After transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in adult mice, microglia/macrophages converge at the lesion core of the striatum, where neuronal loss is prominent. Targeted expression of a neurogenic transcription factor, NeuroD1, in microglia/macrophages in the injured striatum enables their conversion into induced neuronal cells that functionally integrate into the existing neuronal circuits. Furthermore, NeuroD1-mediated induced neuronal cell generation significantly improves neurological function in the mouse stroke model, and ablation of these cells abolishes the gained functional recovery. Our findings thus demonstrate that neuronal conversion contributes directly to functional recovery after stroke.
Volume 120(42)
Pages e2307972120
Published 2023-10-17
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2307972120
PMID 37812721
PMC PMC10589698
MeSH Animals Brain / metabolism Brain Ischemia* / metabolism Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / metabolism Macrophages / metabolism Mammals Mice Microglia / metabolism Neurons / metabolism Stroke* / metabolism
IF 9.412
Resource
DNA material pCAG-HIVgp (RDB04394) pCMV-VSV-G-RSV-Rev (RDB04393)