Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) is an enigmatic enzyme and a relevant target for Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, despite the significant amount of research done in the last decade, the precise function of LRRK2 remains largely unknown. Moreover, the therapeutic potential of its inhibitors is in its infancy with the first clinical trial having just started. In the present work, the molecular mechanism of LRRK2 in the control of neurogenesis or gliogenesis was investigated. We designed and synthesized novel benzothiazole-based LRRK2 inhibitors and showed that they can modulate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Furthermore, compounds 5 and 14 were able to promote neural progenitors proliferation and drive their differentiation towards neuronal and oligodendrocytic cell fates. These results suggest potential new avenues for the application of LRRK2 inhibitors in demyelinating diseases in which oligodendrocyte cell-death is one of the pathological features.

Highlights d Neural stem cell transition from quiescence to activation requires Sox5 and Sox6 d Loss of Sox5 or Sox6 decreases adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus d Transcription of neural stem cell activator Ascl1 is modulated by Sox5 and Sox6 d Environmental enrichment boosts stem cell activation, which is hampered by Sox5 loss