PNAS interpretation! Chinese scientists are expected to develop new therapies to treat neurological diseases!

February 28, 2021 // --Recently , an article entitled "SOX9-COL9A3–dependent regulation of choroid plexus epithelial polarity governs blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier integrity" was published in the international journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

The dysfunction of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier is very common in a variety of neurological diseases

Cerebrospinal fluid is a transparent, colorless body fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord to provide buffering functions and prevent damage; at the same time, cerebrospinal fluid is also the brain's nutrient delivery and waste removal system.

Image source: The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Studies have confirmed that a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and Alzheimer’s disease are directly related to choroid plexus functional damage; one of the main causes of congenital hydrocephalus is the abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain.

Studies have shown that SOX9 in the choroid plexus is essential to prevent unwanted molecules from penetrating into the cerebrospinal fluid.

Under normal circumstances, the choroid plexus can prevent molecules in the blood from freely entering the cerebrospinal fluid, and the loss of SOX9 function will cause the fluorescent tracer to enter the cerebrospinal fluid through the choroid plexus and enter the brain tissue.

Finally, the researcher Kwan explained that the latest research progress in this research field shows that the abnormally transparent blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier is obviously related to neurodevelopmental disorders, such as congenital hydrocephalus and autism spectrum disorders; in order to understand how to prevent To break through this barrier, or how to repair the permeable barrier, researchers must understand the regulatory mechanism behind the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier function; therapeutic strategies that target the intervention of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier or modify the components of the cerebrospinal fluid may be expected to become treatments Potential methods for neurodevelopmental disorders and neurological diseases; based on the results of the current study in this article, researchers are currently trying to use the function of the choroid plexus to alleviate the progression of cerebrospinal fluid-related neurological diseases.

Reference materials:

[1] Keng Ioi Vong, Tsz Ching Ma, Baiying Li, et al.