AUTHOR=Baldassarro Vito Antonio , Cescatti Maura , Rocco Maria Luisa , Aloe Luigi , Lorenzini Luca , Giardino Luciana , Calzà Laura
TITLE=Nerve growth factor promotes differentiation and protects the oligodendrocyte precursor cells from in vitro hypoxia/ischemia
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience
VOLUME=17
YEAR=2023
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1111170
DOI=10.3389/fnins.2023.1111170
ISSN=1662-453X
ABSTRACT=IntroductionNerve growth factor (NGF) is a pleiotropic molecule acting on different cell types in physiological and pathological conditions. However, the effect of NGF on the survival, differentiation and maturation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) and oligodendrocytes (OLs), the cells responsible for myelin formation, turnover, and repair in the central nervous system (CNS), is still poorly understood and heavily debated.
MethodsHere we used mixed neural stem cell (NSC)-derived OPC/astrocyte cultures to clarify the role of NGF throughout the entire process of OL differentiation and investigate its putative role in OPC protection under pathological conditions.
ResultsWe first showed that the gene expression of all the neurotrophin receptors (TrkA, TrkB, TrkC, and p75NTR) dynamically changes during the differentiation. However, only TrkA and p75NTR expression depends on T3-differentiation induction, as Ngf gene expression induction and protein secretion in the culture medium. Moreover, in the mixed culture, astrocytes are the main producer of NGF protein, and OPCs express both TrkA and p75NTR. NGF treatment increases the percentage of mature OLs, while NGF blocking by neutralizing antibody and TRKA antagonist impairs OPC differentiation. Moreover, both NGF exposure and astrocyte-conditioned medium protect OPCs exposed to oxygenglucose deprivation (OGD) from cell death and NGF induces an increase of AKT/pAKT levels in OPCs nuclei by TRKA activation.
DiscussionThis study demonstrated that NGF is implicated in OPC differentiation, maturation, and protection in the presence of metabolic challenges, also suggesting implications for the treatment of demyelinating lesions and diseases.