Tapping On Astrocytes To Drive Dopaminergic Neurons

Astrocytes play an important role in the differentiation of stem cells into dopaminergic neurons through the synthesis of bFGF.

AsianScientist (Jan. 5, 2015) – An optogenetic study published in Nature Communications has shown that astrocytes can contribute to the differentiation of stem cells to dopaminergic (DA) neurons, a property that has the potential to be harnessed to repair the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is driven by the degeneration and dysfunction of DA neurons. It has been hoped that human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) could provide a source of new DA neurons for transplantation therapy for the currently untreatable disease. In particular, astrocytes are known to play an important role in midbrain DA neuron development and secrete trophic factors such as basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). However, it remains unclear whether astrocyte-derived bFGF is sufficient to induce DA differentiation of stem cells and thereby enhance brain repair.

A research group led by Professor Wang Liping at Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences used an optogenetic tool to investigate the effects of specific activation of individual astrocyte populations on the DA differentiation of stem cells and the underlying mechanisms.

They found that the light-activated astrocytes upregulated the synthesis of bFGF in a tissue-specific manner and significantly promoted the DA differentiation of the hESCs. Most importantly, specific activation of endogenous astrocytes in a region of the brain known as the substantia nigra through an optogenetic approach promoted the astrocyte specific bFGF release in situ, which substantially enhanced the DA differentiation of transplanted stem cells and promoted regenerative effects in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.

The study demonstrates that the optogenetic approach can be used to regulate astrocytes in a tissue-specific manner, which could also be helpful in dissecting the elaborate interactions between astrocytes and neurons in Parkinson’s disease. The authors hope that their research will contribute to the further understanding the biological role of the astrocytes in neural degenerative disease.

The article can be found at: Yang et al. (2014) Activated Astrocytes Enhance the Dopaminergic Differentiation of Stem Cells and Promote Brain Repair through ​bFGF.

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Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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