RNA-seq analysis and compound screening highlight multiple signalling pathways regulating secondary cell death after acute CNS injuryin vivo

Abstract

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate secondary cell death after acute central nervous system (CNS) injury is critical for the development of effective neuroprotective drugs. Previous research has shown that neurotoxic processes including excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation can cause secondary cell death. Nevertheless, clinical trials targeting these processes have been largely unsuccessful, suggesting that the signalling pathways underlying secondary cell death remain incompletely understood. Due to their suitability for live imaging and their amenability to genetic and pharmacological manipulation, larval zebrafish provide an ideal platform for studying the regulation of secondary cell death in vivo. Here, we use RNA-seq gene expression profiling and compound screening to identify signalling pathways that regulate secondary cell death after acute neural injury in larval zebrafish. RNA-seq analysis of genes upregulated in cephalic mpeg1 + macrophage-lineage cells isolated from mpeg1:GFP transgenic larvae after neural injury suggested an involvement of cytokine and polyamine signalling in secondary cell death. Furthermore, screening a library of FDA approved compounds indicated roles for GABA, serotonin and dopamine signalling. Overall, our results highlight multiple signalling pathways that regulate secondary cell death in vivo, and thus provide a starting point for the development of novel neuroprotective treatments for patients with CNS injury. This article has an associated First Person interview with the two first authors of the paper.

Zebrafish as a model for studing extracellular vesicles.

“…Среди лейкоцитов популяции нейтрофильных гранулоцитов и моноцитов характеризуются значительным морфологическим сходством с нейтрофилами и моноцитами млекопитающих соответственно [2]. Дополнительной особенностью Danio rerio является высокая скорость регенерации, делающая этот организм привлекательной модельной системой для изучения механизмов восстановления поврежденных тканей, в том числе элементов сердечно-сосудистой системы после моделирования инфаркта миокарда [3] и ишемического или механического повреждения центральной нервной системы [6].…”