Choroid plexus cells will help in the fight against Alzheimer's disease?
Researchers at the University of California at Irvine, working under the direction of Dr. Edwin Monuki, for the first time transformed mouse and human embryonic stem cells into choroid plexus epithelial cells. These cells are necessary for the normal functioning of the choroid plexus – the region of the brain responsible for the production of cerebrospinal fluid. In addition to the production of cerebrospinal fluid, choroid plexus epithelial cells perform many functions, including the elimination of metabolic waste and foreign substances from brain tissue and surrounding fluid cells.
In neurodegenerative diseases, the choroid plexus itself and its constituent epithelial cells age prematurely, which leads to a decrease in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid produced and a decrease in the efficiency of removing metabolic debris, including abnormally altered proteins that form plaques, which are the main histological symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Earlier studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of therapy based on transplantation of choroid plexus epithelial cells, however, the practical application of such approaches is hampered by the impossibility of building or obtaining these cells in the laboratory.
Scientists have developed an approach to solve this problem. It consists in the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into immature neural stem cells, which are subsequently transformed into choroid plexus epithelial cells suitable for transplantation to patients.
Dr. Monuki claims that there are three areas of development of approaches to the use of these cells in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases. Firstly, they can increase the production of cerebrospinal fluid, which helps to remove plaque-forming proteins from brain tissue and slow down the progress of the disease. Secondly, choroid plexus epithelial cells can be used to create "super pumps" to deliver a large number of therapeutic compounds to the cerebrospinal fluid, as well as brain and spinal cord tissues. Thirdly, they can be used for screening and optimization of drugs that improve the functioning of the choroid plexus.
In the near future, the authors plan to develop a screening system and conduct research to identify the effect of transplantation of choroid plexus epithelial cells on the brain state of mouse models of Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease, as well as pediatric diseases.
Watanabe et al. BMP4 Sufficiency to Induce Choroid Plexus Epithelial Fate from Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Neuroepithelial Progenitors is published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of California, Irvine:
New cell type developed for possible treatment of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
21.11.2012