Identification of a discrete subpopulation of spinal cord ependymal cells with neural stem cell properties

TY - JOUR

T1 - Identification of a discrete subpopulation of spinal cord ependymal cells with neural stem cell properties

AU - Stenudd, Moa

AU - Sabelström, Hanna

AU - Llorens-Bobadilla, Enric

AU - Zamboni, Margherita

AU - Blom, Hans

AU - Brismar, Hjalmar

AU - Zhang, Shupei

AU - Basak, Onur

AU - Clevers, Hans

AU - Göritz, Christian

AU - Barnabé-Heider, Fanie

AU - Frisén, Jonas

N1 - Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2022/3/1

Y1 - 2022/3/1

N2 - Spinal cord ependymal cells display neural stem cell properties in vitro and generate scar-forming astrocytes and remyelinating oligodendrocytes after injury. We report that ependymal cells are functionally heterogeneous and identify a small subpopulation (8% of ependymal cells and 0.1% of all cells in a spinal cord segment), which we denote ependymal A (EpA) cells, that accounts for the in vitro stem cell potential in the adult spinal cord. After spinal cord injury, EpA cells undergo self-renewing cell division as they give rise to differentiated progeny. Single-cell transcriptome analysis revealed a loss of ependymal cell gene expression programs as EpA cells gained signaling entropy and dedifferentiated to a stem-cell-like transcriptional state after an injury. We conclude that EpA cells are highly differentiated cells that can revert to a stem cell state and constitute a therapeutic target for spinal cord repair.

AB - Spinal cord ependymal cells display neural stem cell properties in vitro and generate scar-forming astrocytes and remyelinating oligodendrocytes after injury. We report that ependymal cells are functionally heterogeneous and identify a small subpopulation (8% of ependymal cells and 0.1% of all cells in a spinal cord segment), which we denote ependymal A (EpA) cells, that accounts for the in vitro stem cell potential in the adult spinal cord. After spinal cord injury, EpA cells undergo self-renewing cell division as they give rise to differentiated progeny. Single-cell transcriptome analysis revealed a loss of ependymal cell gene expression programs as EpA cells gained signaling entropy and dedifferentiated to a stem-cell-like transcriptional state after an injury. We conclude that EpA cells are highly differentiated cells that can revert to a stem cell state and constitute a therapeutic target for spinal cord repair.

KW - Cell Differentiation/physiology

KW - Humans

KW - Neural Stem Cells/metabolism

KW - Neuroglia

KW - Spinal Cord/metabolism

KW - Spinal Cord Injuries/metabolism

U2 - 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110440

DO - 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110440

M3 - Article

C2 - 35235796

SN - 2211-1247

VL - 38

SP - 110440

JO - Cell Reports

JF - Cell Reports

IS - 9

ER -