Roles of Ependymal Cells in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System

Abstract

Ependymal cells are indispensable components of the central nervous system (CNS). They originate from neuroepithelial cells of the neural plate and show heterogeneity, with at least three types that are localized in different locations of the CNS. As glial cells in the CNS, accumulating evidence demonstrates that ependymal cells play key roles in mammalian CNS development and normal physiological processes by controlling the production and flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), brain metabolism, and waste clearance. Ependymal cells have been attached to great importance by neuroscientists because of their potential to participate in CNS disease progression. Recent studies have demonstrated that ependymal cells participate in the development and progression of various neurological diseases, such as spinal cord injury and hydrocephalus, raising the possibility that they may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the disease. This review focuses on the function of ependymal cells in the developmental CNS as well as in the CNS after injury and discusses the underlying mechanisms of controlling the functions of ependymal cells.

MMCCI: multimodal integrative analysis of single-cell and spatial cell-type communications to uncover overarching and condition-specific ligand-receptor interaction pathways

“…Interactions within ependymal cells and oligodendrocytes were shown to decrease significantly with age, while interactions within astrocytes and from astrocytes to neurons significantly increased with age. This reflects the current understanding that the ependymal layer thins during aging and reactive astrocytes proliferate and interpose themselves within the ependymal cell layer [25, 26]. Oligodendrocyte numbers and function are also known to decrease with age while astrocyte interactions increase, which is shown in our findings [27, 28, 29].…”

Ablation of placental REST deregulates fetal brain metabolism and impacts gene expression of the offspring brain at the postnatal and adult stages

“…PANTHER pathway enrichment analysis showed that these genes were significantly associated with specific pathways such as the metabotropic glutamate receptor group III pathway (P00039), Angiogenesis (P00005), the CCKR signaling map (P06959), Gonadotropin‐releasing hormone receptor pathway (P06664), Ionotropic glutamate receptor pathway (P00037), heterotrimeric G‐protein signaling pathway‐Gq alpha and Go alpha‐mediated pathway (P00027), and metabotropic glutamate receptor group I pathway (P00041) (Table S7). Hypergeometric tests showed that these pathways were particularly enriched in choroid plexus and ependymal cells (Figure S3) that function in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis and brain metabolism 67–70 . This suggested that placental REST played an influential role in the regulation and maintenance of CSF homeostasis and metabolism in the offspring brain.…”

“…The primary functions of these cells in the brain are to produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and maintain metabolic homeostasis. [67][68][69][70] Signaling transduction in the brain is influenced by CSF, whose deregulation affects brain with behavioral changes. 92 The glutamatergic signaling genes associated with both the metabotropic (Gcoupled protein) as well as the ionotropic (ligand-gated ion channel) glutamate receptors (GluRs) were deregulated in the choroid plexus and ependymal cells.…”

“…Specific brain cells, particularly the choroid plexus and ependymal cells, were impacted in the adult offspring brain due to the loss of placental REST. The primary functions of these cells in the brain are to produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and maintain metabolic homeostasis 67–70 . Signaling transduction in the brain is influenced by CSF, whose deregulation affects brain with behavioral changes 92 .…”

“…Hypergeometric tests showed that these pathways were particularly enriched in choroid plexus and ependymal cells (Figure S3) that function in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homeostasis and brain metabolism. [67][68][69][70] This suggested that placental REST played an influential role in the regulation and maintenance of CSF homeostasis and metabolism in the offspring brain.…”